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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28781949">hold on tighter 'til the afterglow</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jonghhho/pseuds/jonghhho'>jonghhho</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>counting down the days [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ATEEZ (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alpha Choi Jongho, Alpha Choi San, Alpha Jeong Yunho, Alpha Kim Hongjoong, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Body insecurity, Boys Kissing, Crying, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Established Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Established Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Established Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, Friends to Lovers, Hand Jobs, I'm Sorry, Insecurity, Kissing, Knotting, Light Dirty Talk, M/M, Male Lactation, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Rituals, Morning Sickness, Mpreg, Multiple Orgasms, Nesting, Omega Jung Wooyoung, Omega Kang Yeosang, Omega Park Seonghwa, Omega Song Mingi, Pregnant Sex, Scenting, Secrets, Self-Lubrication, Smut, Talking, There's a dragon, They talk a lot, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vomiting, and very horny, fwb to lovers, kind cute, labor (the birthing kind), lapslock, they're kinda angsy, tiny tiny mention/implication of blood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:21:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>31,256</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28781949</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jonghhho/pseuds/jonghhho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“mingi, we’re going to get through this. we’re going to be okay. i just need you to tell me one thing,” the alpha says, voice still low and eyes unwavering. mingi finds the entirety of his attention is on yunho, blinking up at him in something like awe.</p><p>“do you want to have this baby?” </p><p> </p><p>Or; birth control failure, not-boyfriends yunho and mingi have a baby!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>counting down the days [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2129982</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>197</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. i. 'we'</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hiya! welcome to my passion project of the past month or so!!<br/>somehow i got this idea stuck in my head and i just couldn't stop until i wrote it.....<br/>this is the end product ahahahaaaa i'm going to be posting all of the chapters in the span of a week or so just bc this thing isn't <i>that</i> long but it's kind of long, but it's really meant to be a one-time(?), short(?) read through.<br/>i'll be updating the tags as i post each chapter (3 chapters total), so please keep an eye out!</p><p>(title taken from afterglow by ed sheeran)</p><p><b>content warning</b><br/>unplanned pregnancy, pregnant sex</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>mingi wakes up on an uneventful saturday morning tired and slightly nauseous. the clouds outside are grey and gloomy and there's a slight chill clinging to the air in his apartment from the lingering winter. spring is just around the corner and mingi's a little excited to not be so cold all of the time. </p><p>getting up and heading to the kitchen, he tries to down a glass of water, sloshing it around in his dry mouth, but the queasiness in his stomach hits hard and he chokes as he sputters, coughing and heaving into the kitchen sink. thankfully there's nothing in his stomach to retch up, but by the end of it his throat is raw and even more dry than before. </p><p>clutching at his stomach, mingi crawls back into bed, shutting out the world and drifting back into fitful sleep. </p><p> </p><p>he dreams of a beautiful green dragon with glistening scales and a long, lithe body. he feels the wind in his hair as the dragon flies up into the sky and then emerges through the clouds to a cave. he's hoping to see more dragons, blue ones and red ones and maybe even little baby dragons, but there's nothing but the small mouth of a dark cave. </p><p>the dragon looks back at him before diving into the cave and mingi lets out a soundless yelp, and yet nothing happens for a beat. then he feels a whoosh of hot air and the dragon reappears, slowly crawling out of the cave and back into the light. </p><p>mingi squints at the sudden bright light that's peering down at him and when he blinks, he finds the dragon's large head an arm’s length in front of him with something pearly white clenched between its jaws. the dragon stands there and for some odd reason, mingi gets the impression that the dragon wants him to take the thing. he puts his hands out in front of him, lips pressing into a line as the dragon moves and drops the thing into his hands. </p><p>it's lighter than he thinks it ought to be and something about it feels <em>alive</em>. when mingi looks back up at the dragon, it's somehow gotten smaller. mingi starts again as it nuzzles it's now smaller head into his stomach. he feels the dragon's hot skin against his lower abdomen and gasps. the pearly white thing he holds is an egg—a dragon egg. </p><p> </p><p>mingi wakes warm and nestled deep in his blankets. it must be afternoon, but the room is still bathed in dark shadows from the gloomy day outside. he must have been asleep for a while. he stretches and yawns and then rolls out of the warmth of his blankets. what makes him get out of bed though, isn't the slight hollowness in his stomach or the still dryness of his throat; it's the dream that he's just had. </p><p>he swings his legs out over the edge of the bed and fiddles around for his phone that's dropped on the floor in his sleep. he thumbs through his contacts and takes a deep breath before dialing the number. it only rings twice before the familiar voice on the other line picks up.</p><p>"mingi? you never call."</p><p>"can you come over?" he feels his knees start shaking and takes another deep breath. he must sound strange because the voice on the other line changes.</p><p>"what's wrong? are you okay?"</p><p>"yea. please, can you come over?"</p><p> </p><p>the telltale chime of the lock on his front door disengaging signals to mingi that <em>someone</em> must be here, but he doesn't move from his position on the bed, duvet firmly wrapped around his now fully shaking body. he doesn't necessarily feel cold, but he can't seem to stop the shaking that's taken over him. soft footsteps travel through his apartment and grow louder and then there's a head of dark hair poking through the door frame. </p><p>yunho's cheeks are flushed, eyebrows drawn together as he peers at what little of mingi is poking out between the covers, sitting against the head of his bed with his legs pulled in close to his chest. he comes up and gingerly sits on the edge of the bed, reaching out to tangle a hand in mingi’s greasy strands.</p><p>“what’s wrong? your scent is all over the place mingi,” the other says, smoothing a hand down mingi’s face. he feels the tiniest bit of comfort radiating through the skin to skin contact, his omega begging for more. </p><p>mingi’s mouth opens and then closes like a fish in water. he knows the words he needs to say, knows that he has to say them or else he’ll probably suffocate on his own muteness, but tries once, twice, three times and then closes his eyes, burying his face into the duvet.</p><p>yunho looks on at him, frown deepening on his face. the silence is too much, blaringly loud in mingi’s ears as he huffs a deep breath. it shakes and rattles his frame as he lets the air out and he can’t help the slight whine that creeps up in his throat. </p><p>he feels rather than hears yunho move closer, his sweet coconut and warm mahogany scent enveloping mingi’s senses as the mattress dips. his omega reacts accordingly, wanting to bury himself into yunho’s chest—let this alpha take care of him properly. and yet mingi’s so afraid of what the alpha will say—what his face will convey.</p><p>“mingi, talk to me. what is it?” yunho asks, sitting directly in front of him now. mingi can feel the way his hands are running soothingly down his sides over the duvet. “you’re scaring me.” </p><p>and as if something has pierced mingi’s chest, he heaves a breath as the tears spill over, leaving dark, wet stains on the fabric. his body shakes even harder as he sobs into his hands, wiping away at the wetness on his cheeks frantically, willing himself to calm down. but it just worsens, fat drops landing on his arms and knees and eventually on yunho’s arms as the alpha scoops him up, pulls him close into his chest and whispers soothing words into his hair. </p><p>“it’s okay, mingi,” is what yunho repeats, hands holding him tightly and his dark, woody scent thickening. </p><p>mingi tucks himself into yunho’s chest, the omega in him calming more and more as he breathes in the alpha’s scent. it’s familiar and welcome and it makes mingi feel like he’s home. </p><p>eventually, after a long while, mingi’s tears cease. yunho’s whispers have stopped too. they both sit against each other, yunho’s breath tickling mingi’s nape as he lets the omega scent him properly, poking his nose into the crook of his neck, breathing in deeply and exhaling shakily. </p><p>“you ok?” yunho’s voice comes, soft and gentle, hand running through mingi’s hair. the omega doesn’t reply, just shakes his head. </p><p>“can you tell me what’s wrong?” the alpha asks this time, pulling away just slightly to look down at mingi’s face, probably covered in dried tears and snot, looking absolutely a mess. </p><p>when mingi opens his mouth this time though, he finds that his voice is intact. thick and low and shaky, but intact. “i’m scared, yunho,” is what he says, mumbled into the alpha’s chest and so low that yunho leans in to hear him. </p><p>“why?” </p><p>it takes mingi a couple of tries, but he manages to make the words come out of his mouth. they’re hot and heavy and make his throat itch. “i think i’m pregnant.” </p><p>the silence that stretches on is roaring as mingi holds his breath. his heart is hammering in his chest and his hands are clenched tightly into fists, waiting for a reply. what he gets though, is a light exhale. mingi looks up at yunho, hoping and praying that it’s not disgust or remorse written on his face. </p><p>yunho is staring at the far wall in utter shock, mouth slightly agape and eyes unfocused, blinking every now and again. mingi can hear the gears churning in yunho’s brain; can make out the little whistle that’s letting out the steam from his ears as the gears overwork themselves. and then yunho’s eyes shift down to him, clear and round in uncertainty.</p><p>he blinks once, twice, before cupping mingi’s face in his large, warm hands. “we’re pregnant?” </p><p>mingi’s own brain stops at those words. </p><p>mingi and yunho aren’t a <em>‘we’</em>. they are mingi and yunho with a conjunction in between that is somewhat leaning more towards platonic than romantic—or, at least, that’s what mingi thinks. they meet through mutual friends in university, clicking immediately and thus becoming an inseparable duo capable of more damage than good when together (which is <em>always</em>). </p><p>mingi’s never had anyone to spend his heats with and yunho, caring and loving and entirely too confident, extends himself as an option somewhere between the <em>‘never have i ever’</em> game that disintegrates into piles of giggles and the 4am mcdonalds run that has mingi throwing up his filet-o-fish on the sidewalk in front of their dorms. </p><p>when yunho brings it up a few weeks later as mingi enters his first preheat of the year, mingi just says ‘ok’ with a shrug of his shoulders and gives yunho the passcode to his dorm room. yunho is sweet and attentive when mingi actually goes into heat and takes care of him in a way mingi hadn’t known he needed. and when yunho’s rut comes around a month or so later, mingi offers to help his friend, and their arrangement just somehow seems to work flawlessly, especially when a year into it, mingi’s heat and yunho’s rut start overlapping, making everything easier for them both.</p><p>they decide to keep it a secret from their circle of friends, not wanting to be the center of attention and not wanting to create a ruckus in front of their already mated friends. the arrangement just works out for them both and if mingi’s being honest, he really enjoys spending his heats with yunho. </p><p>and so when yunho says ‘we’ mingi’s brain does something funny. he thinks about the time he’s spent with yunho and wonders if they’ve been so exclusive to one another that the term just makes sense now. thinks about the countless alphas mingi’s turned down and probably even more omegas that have approached yunho that the alpha has also let go. </p><p>“mingi?” yunho’s gentle voice brings him back to himself. the alpha looks down at him with worry in his eyes now. “what’s up? where did you go?” </p><p>yunho asks mingi that when he zones out. usually mingi would come up with some elaborate tale of fighting his way through a zombie apocalypse or wading through space in just his suit, having been disconnected to his mother ship because of some system failure that would make yunho giggle at him with that pretty twinkle in his eyes and that lopsided smile. but now mingi has no story as he looks back up at the alpha’s face. </p><p>“i just...you said <em>‘we’</em>,” mingi is bad at hiding his feelings. he’s always been an open book and even more so for yunho, his best friend and soulmate and…</p><p>“it is <em>my</em> child, no?” yunho then asks, blinking down at him confusedly. mingi can’t help but chuckle a little, breaking away from the warmth of yunho’s hands to nuzzle into the alpha’s neck again, a semblance of normalcy starting to return to him.</p><p>“of course it is, alpha,” he replies and then takes a deep breath. “what are we gonna do?” </p><p>there’s another bout of silence in which mingi closes his eyes and listens to the steady beating of yunho’s heart just under his thin cotton shirt. the alpha smells faintly of musk and sweat underneath his sweet but woody alpha pheromones. when yunho finally breaks the silence, mingi almost jumps.</p><p>“you haven’t taken a test yet, right?” he asks. mingi shakes his head. </p><p> </p><p>mingi can’t seem to stop shivering as he and yunho sit at his dining table. the alpha bounces his leg anxiously as they both wait the allotted five minutes that the instructions had specified. mingi’s hand is intertwined with yunho’s, the alpha’s lips firmly pressed to the back of his hand. it’s calming in a way, having yunho touch him so intimately, the omega inside him thoroughly enjoying the contact.</p><p>when the timer on yunho’s phone finally goes off, they both jump, catching each other’s eyes as yunho reaches over to the other end of the table. mingi had insisted they place it as far on the other side as possible, nerves frayed and on edge. even now he doesn’t want to look.</p><p>the alpha gingerly turns the test. mingi closes his eyes and prays, but he honestly doesn’t know what he’s praying for. when he hears yunho let out a breath is when he finally opens his eyes. the alpha is still looking down at the test, expression unreadable. </p><p>“w-what’s it say?” mingi asks, his own hands clasping firmly together now. </p><p>yunho looks up at him. “positive,” he says as he turns the test to face mingi. </p><p>the tiny plus sign looks so daunting as mingi reaches out to take the test strip from yunho’s hand. new tears flood his vision as he clutches tightly at the end of the plastic and he exhales shakily as he feels yunho’s hand coming up to brush his tears away, warm and still so comforting. </p><p>“don’t cry, mingi,” the alpha says. “don’t cry.”</p><p> </p><p>yunho schedules the appointment at the obgyn for the following week. he stays with mingi, taking a sick day at work on monday to accompany him to the appointment. he cuddles mingi to sleep and runs to the market to stock migni’s fridge for him and whispers sweet words to him when mingi breaks down into nervous tears.</p><p>in the hallway just outside of the sliding doors of the clinic that monday, mingi’s legs give out on him. he all but collapses onto his hunches and yunho follows, scooping him up into his arms and running a hand down his back. </p><p>“it’s gonna be okay, mingi. nothing’s going to happen,” yunho assures mingi with a sweet smile. </p><p>he manages to make mingi stand again and quietly checks them into the clinic. the omega working the front desk is friendly and smiles warmly at them and the honey and lilac scent of the woman lulls the queasiness of mingi’s nerves (or morning sickness).</p><p>there are two other couples in the waiting room as yunho sits them down on one of the plush sets of chairs. mingi tries not to stare at the swollen belly of one of the omegas and frowns when he realizes he’s unconsciously placed a hand on his own stomach. </p><p>“i’m gonna be sick, yunho.” he mumbles, turning into the alpha’s shoulder and breathing heavily. </p><p>“what? are you okay?” yunho immediately turns to mingi, worry lining his features. mingi just takes another deep breath and closes his eyes.</p><p>“no, it’s okay,” he says, reaching over to fist at the sleeve of yunho’s shirt. “i’m just being overdramatic.”</p><p>the alpha gently pries mingi’s hand away from his sleeve and then laces their fingers together, bringing mingi’s hand up to place a kiss on his knuckles. “it’s okay, mingi. we’re gonna be okay.”</p><p>mingi’s not so sure, but for the time being, he lets yunho’s scent calm his nerves.</p><p> </p><p>the ultrasound gel is cold on mingi’s still flat stomach. he flinches a little and tightens his grip on yunho’s hand as the doctor spreads the gel under the round head of the transducer. the black and white image by his head is strange and mingi bites his lip as the doctor finds just the right place.</p><p>and there, just in the center of the fuzzy white, is a large black spot and on one side of the black spot mingi makes out what might be the miniscule head of the child growing inside of him. the tiny drumming of a heartbeat then fills his ears and with it, hot tears that don’t even pause as they spill over mingi’s eyes. </p><p>“you can see it, right?” the doctor asks, voice sweet and mellow, placing a placating hand on mingi’s knee. “it’s developing well even if you had no idea.” </p><p>yunho’s hand in mingi’s tightens impossibly, but all mingi can hear is the tiny beating of the heart inside of him. all he can feel is the squirmy feeling of happiness bubbling in his throat because he’s so, <em>so </em>scared but he’s also <em>so happy</em>. </p><p>“mingi, it’s our baby,” yunho’s quivering voice says next to him. he hadn’t even realized that yunho had moved so close, kissing his hand and his cheek as they both sniffle from the tears. </p><p>“congratulations,” the doctor announces. </p><p> </p><p>yunho doesn’t go back to his own apartment that night. he drives mingi home and climbs into bed with the omega when mingi’s legs give out on him yet again. mingi clutches the ultrasound photo to his chest as he tries to calm the racing of his heartbeat. </p><p>“do you remember a couple of weeks ago when we went hiking with san and wooyoung?” yunho asks into his shoulder as mingi rubs his hand against his abdomen. </p><p>he does remember the trip. it had been torture really, because even though the hike had been only 0.8 kilometers, it was steep and rocky and mingi had slipped three times on some slick tree roots. wooyoung seemed to be enjoying the hike and san was just happy that his mate was happy and yunho had laughed and pulled mingi along, stopping when he stopped and handing him water from his bag.</p><p>“yea. why?” he asks.</p><p>“wooyoung had said something about your scent. he said you smelled different.” </p><p>“oh,” he replies. he remembers wooyoung pulling him into a hug and then sniffing at his throat over and over again. </p><p>“you smell different,” the omega had said and then promptly skipped away to join his alpha on the ground to eat their packed lunch. </p><p>“do you think it was the baby?” yunho asks, nuzzling into his nape now, taking a deep drag of his scent. </p><p>mingi hums. “do i smell different?” </p><p>yunho digs his nose into mingi’s scent gland, sniffs long again. “yea, but you smell good, like orange and mint.” he sniffs again. “but it’s sweeter, like there’s vanilla or something mixed in.” </p><p>mingi nods. he hopes his scent isn’t too different. he doesn’t want to have to explain himself to his co-workers or his friends, god forbid his parents...oh. mingi shuffles as he turns to face yunho, the alpha adjusts to mingi’s flailing limbs familiarly. </p><p>“yunho, what are we gonna do?” his voice peaks a little desperately as worry sets in. “we’re not even mated. we—” </p><p>his tone climbs as the worry starts clogging his brain. yunho’s reaction is immediate, hands coming up to cup mingi’s face. “it’s okay, mingi. it’s going to be okay.” </p><p>but mingi’s brain doesn’t register anything but the fear nestled deep in his heart. “we’re not even dating, yunho,” he mumbles, eyes clenching shut as he feels the fear settling deep. “you don’t even...we’re not even…”</p><p>“mingi, look at me,” yunho says, tone lowered and snappy. it’s his alpha voice, the one he only uses when he’s upset. he never uses it on mingi though; never. not during his ruts or when mingi’s being a menace, and definitely not when mingi’s in heat. </p><p>but the voice brings mingi out of his head, makes him look up at yunho through the unshed tears that have gathered in his eyes. yunho’s warm brown eyes are looking at him sternly. there’s no confidence in his eyes—none of that smouldering wit that’s usually present or that sweet softness he gets when he’s happy.</p><p>“mingi, we’re going to get through this. we’re going to be okay. i just need you to tell me one thing,” the alpha says, voice still low and eyes unwavering. mingi finds the entirety of his attention is on yunho, blinking up at him in something like awe.</p><p>“do you want to have this baby?” </p><p>mingi’s entire world comes to a screeching halt. he’s never thought to <em>not</em> have the baby, but yunho’s voice is heavy in his brain, scorching through his fears and settling heavy in the center of the darkness. </p><p><em>does he want to have this baby? </em> </p><p>mingi is twenty-five. he has a stable, relatively high income job at an architecture firm. he’s leasing an apartment in his own name, drives his own car, and pays for his own stuff. he’s got great friends and his parents love him and his life has been pretty good to him so far and yet…</p><p>mingi is twenty-five and he’s just starting out his life. he’s only ever had one boyfriend. he’s only ever had one heat buddy who is now the father of the child growing inside of him. mingi is scared and confused and absolutely not ready to be a child but…</p><p>but mingi is with yunho. yunho is kind and caring and there’s a sweetness to him that mingi has never been able to explain. his smiles light up the room and his laugh brings joy and he’s the most amazing person mingi could have ever let into his life. yunho is gentle and warm and mingi knows that he’s going to be a good father. a great father.</p><p>“do you?” he ends up asking, voice cracking from the lump that’s sitting in his throat. yunho looks at him now, still with uncertainty. it’s a look mingi’s only ever seen a few times on the other and to be honest, he doesn’t like it. </p><p>“mingi, this—it’s more your decision than mine.” yunho stumbles through his words, but when mingi goes to retaliate, he says, “but if you’d let me have a say, then i say yes.” </p><p>there are unshed tears in yunho’s eyes now too and mingi can’t help but reach out. he traces a thumb over yunho’s jaw, binking the tears out of his own eyes. they fall unceremoniously between the space they share, wetting the pillow and yunho’s arm. </p><p>“okay.” mingi says finally, nodding. he lets yunho kiss his forehead and pull him in tightly against his chest. </p><p>“how are we going to explain to everyone?”</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>******</p>
</div><p> </p><p>the only person mingi lets in on his and yunho's secret is his boss. the man is understanding and congratulates him and then sends him down to the hr office to figure out details on pregnancy leave, but not before wondering aloud about how he didn't know mingi even had a significant other. mingi politely ducks his head. it's not exactly a lie when he replies and says that the pregnancy was unplanned.</p><p>yunho buys him prenatal vitamins that come in gummy form because he knows mingi's never been good at swallowing pills. he also brings three suitcases of his stuff over to mingi's apartment, claiming that he needs to have things there now that they're going to be spending more time together than they ever have. mingi doesn't complain about the way yunnho's suitcases sort of block the way to his closet—actually, he rather likes the way yunho's scent has started to seep into his every day. </p><p>the next weekend, yunho sits mingi down for a talk. mingi's morning sickness has been quite dormant these days, but he doesn't take it for granted, making sure that yunho makes a fresh pot of coffee to drown out any other smell that might start up mingi's queasiness. </p><p>"i think we should start by telling your parents," yunho says. mingi is inclined to agree. </p><p>"they're super nice and i'm hoping that they'll be understanding about it all," the alpha explains as he circles the words 'mingi's family' on the little chart he's made in his notebook. mingi nods and watches as the pen travels to the words 'yunho's parents' and then lingers. </p><p>"you've met my mom," yunho says and then sighs, dropping the pen. he huffs and swipes a hand over his face, frustration peaking in his scent. </p><p>"my family, mingi, they're old school. very traditional in...every single way possible," yunho starts, mouth forming into a sullen line.</p><p>"are they gonna be upset?" mingi asks, hands instinctively going to his stomach protectively. yunho glances up at him and then nods reluctantly. </p><p>"yea, they're gonna be upset, but they can't do anything about it. what they are gonna want though, is for us to mate as soon as possible," the alpha then explains and his features twist up into something even more unpleasant. mingi frowns. </p><p>"i...are we?" he voices tentatively. he feels a blush creeping onto his cheeks as yunho looks up at him with round eyes. </p><p>"i would...if you wanted, mingi. only if you wanted." yunho sounds unsure, wholly unlike himself. it brings a bad taste to mingi's mouth and suddenly the nausea starts back up. </p><p>he rolls his tongue around in his mouth, grimacing at the saliva that's starting to pool in the back of his throat, willing the feeling to go away. then in an instant, he's leaping out of his chair and bounding through the hallway. he makes it to the toilet, knees crashing onto the tile floor, just as the first wave of nausea explodes. he retches into the toilet bowl, gagging and coughing as he empties his stomach. </p><p>yunho is right behind him then kneeling beside him, running and hand up and down his back and pushing his hair away, taking the glasses from his face and folding them neatly onto the counter. they stay like this until there's nothing for mingi to retch up, green bile swirling down when yunho flushes the toilet for the third time. he hands mingi his toothbrush, toothpaste already globbed onto the tip and mingi accepts with shaky hands as he slumps onto his butt, leaning against the bathtub. </p><p>when he's finished brushing his teeth, they settle on the couch instead of the dining table and yunho tucks a soft throw over mingi's shoulders, letting the omega lean into him. "you okay?" yunho asks, rubbing a hand down mingi's arm. </p><p>the omega nods and turns to nose at yunho's neck, searching for that warm, homey scent that seems to be the best at calming his stomach. "i'm okay," he sighs after taking a long drag of yunho's scent.</p><p>yunho lets mingi bask in his scent, chuckling when the omega can't help himself but to lean in and mouth at yunho's collarbones that peak out over his loose shirt. when he's content, he pulls away just a pinch and settles comfortably against yunho. </p><p>"i want to mate with you, yunho. but are you sure?" he finally voices, frowning a little into the softness of the throw wrapped around him. "it–it's forever you know…"</p><p>his brain supplies him with some nasty thoughts—inadequacy and infidelity and something bitter like disdain. mingi knows his scent is souring, but he can't seem to shake it. "i'm not special, yunho," he finally blurts, feeling the shame burning into his chest. his eyes start prickling again and mingi curses internally. he seems to be crying so much more than before. </p><p>yunho tenses a little behind him, scent turning bitter like charred wood. he gingerly maneuvers mingi so that the omega is facing him and then brings his hand up to cup mingi's face. his eyes seem to be shining with surety, eyebrows stitched together just slightly as he says in a low voice, "you are special, mingi. i couldn't ask for a better omega or a more amazing friend."</p><p>a breath catches in mingi's chest as he lets the words sink in. </p><p>"you know me better than anyone, mingi, and i you. and we both know that this," he gestures between the two of them, "is going to be amazing." </p><p>mingi's only ever kissed yunho a handful of times outside of his heat or the alpha's rut, but it doesn't feel any different. yunho's lips are just a bit chapped but they're warm and drag over his own lips invitingly.</p><p>the alpha kisses him deep, sighing contentedly he presses himself to mingi, thumb stroking his jaw and sending a tingling sensation into the omega's stomach. when they finally part, yunho nuzzles into his neck, laving his tongue over mingi's scent gland and rubbing their necks together almost feverishly, but still ever so gentle. mingi finds himself closing his eyes and letting the alpha do what he wants, revelling in the feeling. </p><p>when he finally pulls back, mingi finds himself peering up at a flushed yunho. he's got his lips between his teeth and a pretty rosy color rides high on his cheeks. "i've never done that to you without my rut brain muddling my senses." </p><p>mingi finds himself chuckling, sniffing the alpha and humming lazily when he finds their scents have wrapped around each other, creating the perfect blend of dark and light. "it felt good.."</p><p>"i'm serious though, mingi. we can do this. you and i, we're…" yunho trails off and then chortles. "something like perfect, but maybe a little more chaotic than that."</p><p>mingi finds himself shaking with laughter, diving in to throw his arms around his best friend, the father of his child—soon to be mate. the thought gets lodged in a part of mingi's brain and he swallows thickly thinking about it. he's going to mate with yunho. </p><p>"but, mingi," the alpha says, arms tightening around mingi's middle. "about my parents…"</p><p>the omega hums, showing he's listening.</p><p>"i don't know how much you know about the traditional mating ceremony," yunho starts. his voice sounds weary again and he feels the alpha's fingers gripping at his shirt. "it's a lot."</p><p>mingi tries to recall the traditional aspects of a mating ceremony. in modern times, the ceremony is mostly just a celebration of the mating, not unlike a beta wedding. it's like showing their bond off to the world. in a more traditional sense however, mingi recalls something about the ceremony starting two days before the designated mating date. he furrows his brows. </p><p>"it has something to do with the actual mating?" he asks in question, peering up at the alpha with curious eyes. yunho nods and then presses his lips together. </p><p>"my family is of true blood, you remember me telling you that, right?" mingi nods. "only a few of the true blood families still carry out traditional mating rituals."</p><p>"it consists of both of our families gathering two days before the official ceremony. there's a bathing ritual and a physician is brought in for fertility checks." mingi can't help but snort at that. there would be no need to check their fertility. </p><p>"you dine with my family the first night while i dine with yours. we learn the family history and the pack history," yunho continues. "and when the day comes, there will be a spot. it's the same spot my parents mated and generations before that. they'll prepare the tent and the drapes in whatever colors we choose." mingi frowns. "and then we'll mate." </p><p>it takes mingi's brain a few seconds to process what yunho had just said. when the thought finally settles, he finds himself pushing off of the alpha, looking down at him in confusion. "wait, so we have to mate on a certain day?" </p><p>yunho nods, nibbling on his bottom lip. </p><p>"in a tent?" nod.</p><p>"and they're gonna be watching?"</p><p>the alpha closes his eyes. "it's more like they'll be on the other side. they'll be able to hear us, but they won't see us. the traditions have changed a little with the times."</p><p>mingi stares down at yunho in shock. he's never heard of such a ridiculous thing. traditions be damned, mingi does not want to mate with yunho in public. </p><p>"yunho—" he starts but doesn't really know what he wants to say. "isn't—that's a little…"</p><p>the alpha catches mingi's hand in his. "i know, mingi. i know. but i don't know if this is something we can get around," he explains, pouting a little in that cute way he sometimes does. "it's tradition."</p><p>mingi huffs but he doesn't have any real pressing thoughts, only that he knows it would be awkward and extremely uncomfortable. would his parents even understand? would they be willing to partake in such a thing? </p><p>the omega closes his eyes and sighs. there's a slight queasiness returning to his stomach now, nerves or stress or something else bothering his senses. he presses closer to yunho and breathes in the alpha's scent, letting it settle in his lungs and permeate through his body. </p><p>"we'll talk about it later," mingi mumbles into the alpha's chest. "i'm tired."</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>******</p>
</div><p> </p><p>mingi's parents aren't angry. his mom cries out in shock when mingi shows them the ultrasound through the probably blurry screen of the phone and his dad just stares wide-eyed. mingi explains that he and yunho have been spending their heats and ruts together for years, and while shocked that mingi hadn't even mentioned it once, his parents are accepting. glad, even, that it's yunho—his family has always loved yunho.</p><p>"you do know that statistically, this is an almost impossible pregnancy?" his mom finally says when the shock finally subsides. yunho and mingi exchange a look and then laugh because she's right. </p><p>when they hang up, mingi's crying again and yunho is laughing gently as he cradles mingi to his chest. he doesn't really know what caused the tears, but suddenly as his mom was talking about the mating and moving in together and how proud she is that they've managed to figure everything out together, he'd felt wetness on his cheeks, tears bubbling up out of nowhere. his mom had laughed and then cooed at him, instructing yunho to hug him. she hangs up with a promise to visit next week and mingi all but buries himself in yunho's embrace.</p><p>"my crybaby omega," yunho says fondly as he wraps mingi up warmly. </p><p>when mingi finally calms and manages to eat a few bites of lunch, yunho helps him dress for the bigger challenge. they tuck themselves into yunho's car and make the drive down to gwangju, yunho's hand firmly gripping mingi's the entire way down. yunho's mom is waiting by the gates when yunho pulls the car to a stop along the side of the road.</p><p>mingi's palms are sweating when they step out of the car. yunho's mom smiles fondly at them, hugging both yunho and mingi tightly. "i haven't seen you in so long," she says to mingi, patting his cheek. </p><p>yunho's dad greets them inside, ushering them in and patting mingi on the shoulder. he's much shorter than them both and smiles up at them warmly. it makes him a little hopeful, knowing that yunho's parents are still fond of him. yunho directs everyone to sit and glances at mingi reassuringly before diving in.</p><p>and it's honestly not so bad. mingi can't meet either of yunho's parents' eyes, but he can make out the faint shock in their faces as yunho explains the situation. he presents the ultrasound photo, now a little worn from how much they've handled it. yunho's dad is the first to speak. </p><p>"but you two weren't involved romantically?" </p><p>mingi then looks up to meet yunho's eyes. the alpha is tense beside him, jaw clenched tightly. "no," he answers truthfully. mingi jumps when he feels yunho's fingers lacing into his own. </p><p>"but we know we can make this work. you know us," yunho looks to his mom. "you've seen us together."</p><p>mingi grips hard at yunho's hand as silence stretches on for an eternity. he still can’t bring himself to look up at the two older alpha and omega, can’t bear to see the disapproval in their eyes. there's no bitter scent swirling in the air though, just the calming scent of yunho swirling around him. that and the warm hand in his own which is utterly grounding. </p><p>"okay," yunho's dad finally says after a long moment. yunho's grip on his hand loosens fractionally, a breath of air escaping from his chest. mingi chances a peek up at the older alpha. </p><p>he doesn't look angry, but there's a hard set line on his forehead, making him look pensive. "the ceremony," the alpha starts and then raises a hand as yunho goes to retaliate. "the ceremony will have to be skipped altogether."</p><p>mingi perks up at this, raising his eyes finally to stare at the older man. the look on his face is softer now. "it's a traditional ceremony for mating. it's meant specifically for the consummation and meant to bring fertility of the new mates." the man studies both of them. "but fertility isn't an issue and we don't want to cause stress on the baby by going forward with the ceremony."</p><p>it’s like a woosh of fresh air has suddenly entered the room, the tension in yunho’s body leaves him and he slumps a little, pressing slightly into mingi’s side. yunho’s mom finally lets out a breath too and then scrunches her nose. “that tradition should really be forgotten, honey. consummation is an act between mates, and shouldn’t have to be witnessed.”</p><p>her tone is light but there’s a serious note underneath that makes yunho and the older alpha laugh. mingi nibbles nervously at his lip still, looking up at yunho for guidance. when the alpha senses his eyes, he turns with a smile and leans in to bump their noses together. </p><p>“we're going to be just fine, mingi.”</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>******</p>
</div><p> </p><p>having cleared the big hurdle, mingi and yunho bend their heads together to try and figure out what to do about the biggest hurdle yet: their friends. yunho had the idea to tell them a few years ago after it was clear that their arrangement was working and it wouldn’t dissolve into shambles, but mingi had refused, imagining the grin that would no doubt be on plastered to wooyoung’s face and the shocked, slightly irritated expression that would also undoubtedly appear on seonghwa’s.</p><p>but now, as they sit on mingi’s couch, staring at the contacts of their friends on their phones, mingi is at a loss for words. he’s suckling on a spoonfull of cookie butter and also reaches for the bag of cheetos that yunho had picked up on his way home from work. the alpha stares down at him with a frown as mingi dips an orange cheeto into the container of cookie butter and pops it into his mouth happily.</p><p>“i guess those stories about weird pregnancy cravings aren’t wrong,” the alpha finally says, which earns him a punch on his shoulder from mingi. </p><p>“stop judging your pregnant omega and figure out what we’re going to do about our friends,” mingi says as he munches. “god they’re gonna be insufferable.” </p><p>yunho agrees with a sigh and a hum. “we should just tell them outright. they’re gonna be mad that we kept it a secret for years, but we’ll just cover it all up with your weird food cravings and stuff.” yunho’s voice falters a little as he finishes with, “it’ll be fine.”</p><p>mingi side eyes the alpha who seems to have made up his mind and then sighs. “we’ll buy them dinner. bribe them with the promise of good food.”</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>******</p>
</div><p> </p><p>it isn’t until twelve weeks into his pregnancy that their group of friends finds a time where they can all meet up, each of them busy with their own bustling lives. mingi’s a little worried as he and yunho set up the big dining table in the alpha’s apartment. he’s brought out his good silverware for this occasion.</p><p>mingi’s scent has changed more noticeably in the past weeks—the orange softening until it’s sweet and ripe and a slight sprinkle of something yunho distinctly coins as ‘baby’ has settled into it. he isn’t really showing yet and he knows this only because the first thing he does every morning when he wakes up is to go stand in front of his mirror with his body turned to the side and his shirt tucked under his arms. there’s a tiny bump that’s entirely unrecognizable with his clothes on, which is fine because he’s not planning to take his clothes off in front of his best friends.</p><p>yunho assures him that everything will be fine, just like he’s been doing the past few weeks. the pair of them have been switching from mingi’s apartment to yunho’s apartment every few days and while mingi loves his quaint little apartment and quiet neighborhood, yunho has an extra room that has mingi hovering outside the door of every time he passes by, wondering what it would look like with a cot and a colorful rug and a little mobile hanging from the ceiling. </p><p>he hasn’t worked up the nerve to bring up living arrangements with yunho yet, not really knowing how to, and without an inkling of an idea of what yunho thinks about it. needless to say, mingi’s brain is encompassed by thoughts of his pregnancy at all hours of the day.</p><p>jongho and yeosang arrive first. the younger alpha is the youngest of their friend group, but jongho and yeosang had been the first to mate. for a while, mingi had thought it had been slightly more out of necessity than absolute want because yeosang has always struggled with his heats and mating can always make it much more bearable, but after having spent an entire month at the pair’s apartment when mingi’s own had needed to undergo immediate construction and remodelling due to a situation with the pipes, mingi had come to realize that the pair were nothing short of being <em>perfect </em>for one another. </p><p>yeosang is a fiery omega in the most subtle way. he’s mouthy and a little unreadable, but witty and charismatic; if being best friends with wooyoung had anything to say about his character. jongho is something of a rock. he’s diligent and gentle, but extremely hard-headed about some things (like yeosang) and together they’re the most sarcastic, quick witted, dry-humored duo. </p><p>the first thing out of jongho’s mouth when he steps into the apartment is, “are you two living together or something?” as he takes a whiff of mingi and yunho’s scents that have undoubtedly mixed together thoroughly. mingi shoots yunho a panicked look but the alpha just laughs and brings them to the living room to offer them refreshments before dinner.</p><p>wooyoung and san are next to arrive. the pair are the newest mates out of their friend group, but have been dating the longest. wooyoung is a ball of energy but also has a calm, mom-like attitude about him when he’s feeling like it. san is also extremely bubbly and clingy, but he’s also got a black belt in taekwondo and lifts nearly twice his weight and is the embodiment of the alpha when he wants to be. the two had started dating only a week after they met and have had so many ups and downs that mingi can’t even keep count, but it’s made their bond strong and resistant.</p><p>wooyoung throws himself into yunho’s arms when he’s through the door, a big smile on display as his voice rings loudly. </p><p>“it’s been too long!” </p><p>in reality it’s only been something like two months, but wooyoung’s social nature is strong and he hates being away from his friends for long periods of time. he embraces mingi too, and the omega stiffens just a little as wooyoung buries his nose into mingi’s neck, but the other doesn’t say anything about his scent to which mingi lets out a relieved sigh. </p><p>it doesn't go as smoothly when hongjoong and seonghwa finally arrive though. hongjoong is smiling his toothy, happy smile when he enters the apartment announcing their arrival with a loud voice. seonghwa waddles in after his mate, one hand supporting his back and the other carrying a bottle of fizzy grape juice. he’s twenty nine weeks into his second pregnancy, this time with twins, and mingi can practically see the omega glowing.</p><p>seonghwa stops dead in the entryway though, zeroing in immediately on mingi, his smile falling away slowly. his eyes dart around and land on the throw that mingi’s brought over from his own apartment, and then on the other fizzy grape juice that’s sitting on the coffee table, and finally on the prenatal vitamins that mingi’s forgotten to tuck away. he curses as he tracks seonghwa’s movement.</p><p>“what the fuck is going on?” seonghwa asks, rushing over (as quickly as he can with his swollen belly). he places his bottle of grape juice on the table and comes over to cup mingi’s face in his hands. there’s concern written all over his features, the corners of his mouth turned down and eyebrows stitched together. mingi looks up at the older omega and almost whimpers. </p><p>“what’s wrong, hwa?” hongjoong asks, coming to stand beside his mate. mingi looks around seonghwa at yunho who’s frozen by the kitchen island, mouth agape and eyes wide. </p><p>“baby, <em>what</em> is going on?” seonghwa says again as he leans in to sniff at mingi. the younger tenses, mind screaming at him to do something. everyone else has stopped chatting too, staring wide-eyed at the two omegas. hongjoong looks down at mingi curiously, trying to study his face. </p><p>“i–i can explain,” mingi stutters and then hears shuffling. yunho is by his side in an instant, hands out in front of him in surrender.</p><p>“we can explain,” the alpha says and mingi cringes as he hears a collective gasp go through the room. </p><p>seonghwa looks between the two of them, unimpressed. he tucks his hands under his stomach and shifts his weight, a cold look coming to rest on his features. “explain,” the omega insists. </p><p>they manage to get seonghwa to sit down on the couch between hongjoong and wooyoung. mingi fiddles nervously with his hands as yunho stands in the middle of the living room with a strained smile on his face. jongho’s voice startles them all.</p><p>“you’re finally dating, right?” the youngest asks, gesturing between mingi and yunho. the two share a look and mingi raises his eyebrows at the suggestion. they could run with it. but yunho just heaves a sigh. </p><p>“you’ve been dating for quite some time, right?” yeosang then says and mingi can’t help but be amused by the way it seems to be turning into a guessing game. yunho doesn’t seem amused though as he takes another deep breath. when he starts though, his voice is steady. mingi wants to rush over and take his hand—to reassure his alpha. </p><p>“mingi and i have been spending our ruts and heats together for a very long time,” he begins. mingi watches as san’s mouth drops and hongjoong makes a strange face. </p><p>“how long?” it’s wooyoung this time. </p><p>mingi finds himself speaking before he can stop himself. “five years, give or take?”</p><p>the chaos is immediate. hongjoong shoots out of his seat, rising to his full 173 centimeters but looking big nonetheless. wooyoung’s voice is loud as he screams and san is rapid firing questions at the two of them. mingi takes note of how seonghwa hasn’t even moved. he already knows. </p><p>yunho puts up his hands to try and quell the noise to which everyone complies begrudgingly. “that’s not all,” he says and then turns to mingi. the omega nods minutely, eyes trailing down onto the floor as yunho continues. </p><p>“we’re pregnant.” </p><p>the noise that erupts makes mingi jump, and before he knows it, he’s by yunho’s side, burying his face into the alpha’s shoulder as tears spring to his eyes. the alpha wraps his arms around mingi, desperately trying to shush their friends while simultaneously trying to calm him, scent thickening and wrapping around them. </p><p>noise swells around mingi and his brain goes fuzzy with it as his breath hastens, but then there’s another pair of hands, grabbing mingi by the shoulders and somehow he’s led away from yunho and away from the noise. when the door closes and the sounds of the living room are muffled, mingi finally comes back to himself a little, looking up at the tender expression that seonghwa is sporting. </p><p>he sinks down onto the bed beside mingi, placing a hand over his and whispering soothing words to him. the soft scent of lavender and lemon washes over mingi, conciliating the overwhelmed omega in him. </p><p>“i’m sorry, seonghwa,” mingi finds himself apologizing. the older omega chuckles.</p><p>“for what, mingi? for getting pregnant?” mingi shakes his head. he doesn’t know what for.</p><p>“you don’t need to apologize, mingi. you haven’t done anything wrong.” the omega runs a hand down mingi’s back. “there’s literally <em>nothing</em> you need to apologize for.” </p><p>mingi’s scent goes back to normal as he calms. the door opens just enough for yunho to slip in and kneel down in front of mingi, looking up at him with a panicked look in his eyes. “are you okay?” the alpha asks. mingi nods, leaning down to bump his head against yunho’s softly. </p><p>“they have a lot of questions,” yunho says, chuckling a little to alleviate the tension. seonghwa scoffs beside them.</p><p>“so do i.” </p><p>mingi finds himself laughing and then lets his eyes trail over to the older omega. “sorry i made fun of your morning sickness,” he mumbles. his brain supplies him with forgotten memories of poking fun at the way seonghwa had been sick to his stomach at the most random times during the day. </p><p>the other omega hums. “it's okay. mother nature seems to have given you a taste of your own medicine.” </p><p>“are they mad?” mingi then asks, eyes focusing on yunho. the alpha’s big, warm hands are cupped against his knees and he’s looking up at mingi with round eyes, shining a little in the minimal lamplight. mingi’s omega keens at the sight. </p><p>“maybe a little, but only about us keeping our arrangement a secret,” he replies, gingerly taking mingi’s hands in his. “we should probably get back out there. please the crowd a little.” he rises to his feet. </p><p>“we also promised them food,” he says, humor rising in his voice. seonghwa chuckles and stands too. </p><p>“come on, puppy. it’ll protect you from those fiends,” the older omega says. </p><p>the living room is quiet when they reenter, everyone still seemingly in shock. yunho leads mingi out, hands still tightly holding onto each other. seonghwa follows them, his daunting presence looming in the background, practically glaring at the rest of their friends.</p><p>“be nice to mingi,” the oldest says, taking a seat on one of the unoccupied armchairs. “he’s with child.”</p><p>“so this isn’t a joke?” yeosang asks, his tone light. seonghwa shoots the other omega a firm look but doesn’t chide him. </p><p>“nope. definitely not a joke,” yunho answers. “birth control did not do its job correctly and now we are—as seonghwa puts it—with child.”</p><p>mingi squirms at yunho’s side, the eyes of all of his friends watching him making him self-conscious, but he manages to make his voice work, glancing up at yunho before addressing the room. “we can answer questions over dinner, if everyone’s still hungry?” </p><p>the rest of the night is spent with yunho and mingi answering the questions that their friends shoot at them about their arrangement and the pregnancy and everything in between. mingi shows off the new ultrasound he’d gotten the week prior and laughs when seonghwa pouts because half of them don’t like to listen to him when <em>he’s </em>rambling about the pregnancy. </p><p>none of them are actually that mad about the fact that mingi and yunho had been hiding their arrangement. yeosang definitely says he would have hidden it if he’d started a casual relationship too, instead of a romantic relationship to which jongho narrows his eyes. mingi feels himself finally letting go of all of his doubts and worries as his friends settle into the familiar push and pull banter around him. </p><p>wooyoung does pull him aside though, in between drinks, to ask about the mating. “we’re playing it by ear,“ mingi replies. wooyoung just nods. </p><p>“you guys are mating, though, right?” the other asks tentatively. mingi nods. he and yunho had talked about it a few times, but only briefly. they definitely still want to mate, but mingi hasn’t brought it up with his doctor yet and yunho just isn’t sure what the best time might be to approach it.</p><p>“good,” is the last thing wooyoung says before he pulls mingi in for a short hug. when he pulls away the other omega is scrunching his nose. </p><p>“you do smell different.”</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>******</p>
</div><p> </p><p>“sooner rather than later is best,” mingi’s doctor says through the phone. “mating changes some of the chemical balances in both the alpha and the omega, and while it’s not damaging in any way to the development of the fetus, it can cause the omega stress, which isn’t exactly good for the baby.”</p><p>mingi nods, even though he knows his doctor can’t see him. they speak on the phone for something like thirty minutes, mingi dragging up the courage to ask all of the questions he’s been wanting to ask for the last two weeks. he’s thirteen weeks pregnant now and the bump has risen to become much more prevalent. he can’t fit into his jeans anymore so he’s switched to stretchy pregnancy pants. </p><p>he’s also switched to working from home now so what he wears from the waist down isn’t too important. he’s mostly on calls and writing reports for the majority of the day, making sure he eats enough and drinks enough water and waiting eagerly for yunho to come home because that’s starting to become his favorite part of the day; snuggled up on the couch or in bed with the alpha, talking about the baby or just watching a funny show. he craves the alpha’s attention even more now than before, wanting yunho to be touching him at every given moment possible.</p><p>yunho—gentle, sweet, kind hearted, and impossibly good at everything yunho—seems to enjoy it just as much though. he wraps mingi up in his arms as soon as he walks through the door. he showers mingi in praise and lets the omega do whatever with a small smile and a look of fondness in his eyes. he even lets migni watch <em>tangled</em> twice in one week.</p><p>it also awakens something else inside of mingi. he’s pretty sure it’s his hormones going haywire and messing up all of the signals in his body, but mingi is—without any fluff or pretense—extremely horny. he finds himself day dreaming of yunho eating him out on the couch or fucking him slowly in the shower in between writing emails and scheduling zoom meetings. he finds himself retreating to the bathroom and cleaning himself up at odd times during the day. and while he's feeling absolutely ravenous all the time, he hasn't been able to bring it up to the alpha yet—that or the mating. </p><p>yunho is pretty busy at work these days, working toward his scheduled pregnancy leave. he's trying to get as much done, which means longer hours than usual and a lot of exhaustion. mingi understands wholly but his omega is not happy about the minimal time he gets to spend with the alpha.</p><p> </p><p>when yunho comes home that evening, mingi’s dozing off on the couch. they’re still at yunho’s apartment, which mingi is liking more and more by the day as the alpha has set up for him his own personal workspace in the spare room that used to be filled with junk and an extra bed. he also likes the way yunho’s sent is <em>everywhere</em>, always making him feel at home with its headiness. </p><p>the alpha rouses mingi from his perch on the couch and makes him eat something savory for dinner, which he’d picked up on the way home. mingi complies sleepily, eating just a few mouthfuls of hot broth and noodles before complaining that he’s tired. yunho feeds him some more of the food, to which mingi happily accepts and then lets him doze off a little more on the couch while he cleans up. </p><p>it isn’t long before it’s very obviously time for bed for the omega. he’s a little loopy from the sleepiness that’s trying to swallow him up. yunho chuckles at the way mingi clings to him with a pout and helps him to the bathroom where they both get ready for the night. mingi can see the fine lines of exhaustion on yunho’s face through the mirror as they brush their teeth. (he also really likes the double sink in yunho’s big master bathroom compared to the snigle one of his own apartment.)</p><p>mingi wraps himself around the drooped shoulders of the alpha, nuzzling into the warmth that seems to permanently cling to yunho's body. "you look exhausted," he mumbles into yunho's shoulder. </p><p>the alpha drops his toothbrush into the little cup between the sinks and resituates them into a full bodied hug. mingi hums contentedly as yunho gently rocks them on the balls of his feet. "it's nothing compared to making a baby," he answers, which draws a muffled laugh out of the omega. "how are you feeling today?"</p><p>"hmm. tired," mingi replies and then feels his cheeks heat up at the memory of rushing into the bathroom to wipe away some slick that had started up as he'd daydreamed about yunho's fingers. the alpha must sense it because he's trying to pull away from mingi who just clings to him even tighter. he laughs as mingi whines, embarrassment catching up to his ears. </p><p>"what's got you so worked up?" yunho asks, running his fingers through the hairs at the base of mingi's neck. the omega presses his lips together. </p><p>"i think it's pregnancy hormones," he finally manages to mumble out. "it makes me...horny." </p><p>the alpha's boisterous laughter makes mingi jump a little, but when he looks up at yunho, he's smiling big and goofy and it manages to make mingi smile too. "stop laughing at me."</p><p>yunho just keeps giggling as he drags mingi by the arm to the bedroom. he follows obediently, making a confused sort of noise as yunho pulls him into his arms again. he's not expecting yunho's lips to come down on his, but mingi melts into the kiss, making a low noise in the back of his throat as yunho licks into his mouth thoughtfully. when they part, its with reluctance, mingi trying to chase the intoxicating lips of the alpha. </p><p>"come on. i'll make you feel good." the alpha says, shamelessly tugging at the drawstrings of mingi's sweatpants. </p><p>the omega feels his cheeks heating up again but agrees without an ounce of resistance. he lets yunho pry the clothing off of his legs and watches a little in awe as the alpha removes his own layers. yunho sits up by the head of the bed and mingi follows easily, straddling the alpha's legs and shivering as he feels the first stir of arousal in his gut. yunho chuckles a little as he cups mingi's swollen stomach and leans forward to press a chaste kiss on the omega's jaw. </p><p>"why didn't you tell me before?" he asks as his hands come down to knead mingi's ass. he can feel wetness starting to seep from his hole and lets out a shuddering breath as yunho's fingers dip dangerously close. </p><p>"w–was embarrassed," mingi chokes out when yunho rubs the pad of his fingers against his puckered hole, spreading some of the slick. the alpha draws back a little, humming as he brings mingi's slick to his mouth and laps at the wetness. mingi watches with hooded eyes as the alpha licks his own fingers, cock jerking in need. </p><p>"your slick tastes so much sweeter than before, mingi," yunho says and then dives in to catch mingi's lips on his own. </p><p>the omega whimpers as his half-hard cock gets trapped between yunho's hips and his swollen stomach, rubbing almost uncomfortably. but the friction is delicious and makes him moan into yunho's mouth, rocking a little in the alpha's lap. the taste of his own slick on yunho’s tongue making him moan louder. it’s sweeter than before and the citrus is potent.</p><p>"i think the pregnancy is making you really sensitive," the alpha says when he pulls away. mingi hadn't even noticed the other's hands travelling up his shirt, but he jerks as yunho presses his thumbs against his nipples. shockwaves of pleasure travel down to his stomach and make his cock jump as the alpha swirls his fingers over the sensitive buds. </p><p>"pretty," yunho whispers, pressing his lips to the exposed column of mingi's neck and then drawing back completely. </p><p>the omega shakes as pleasure rips through him, chest heaving for breath and thighs clenched around yunho's hips. he can feel slick dripping down his thighs and the scent of yunho's arousal makes him light in the head. "yunho, c–can you…" he trails off, slumping forward in the alpha's arms. </p><p>"what do you want, mingi?" the alpha asks, hands going down to spread his asscheeks. "want my fingers?"</p><p>the omega nods against the alpha's shoulder. he can feel yunho's fingers dipping into the slick that's smeared around his hole, teasing at his entrance over and over again, coaxing even more slick out of him. he whines and ruts his hips into yunho's and moans when he feels the alpha's own cock jerking against his.</p><p>"okay, baby. be patient."</p><p>mingi whimpers because he's never been patient. during his heats, he always tries to rush things, but yunho's a bit more level-headed, even through the cloudiness of his own rut. he never wants to hurt mingi by going too fast or too soon, but the omega seems to not have such reservations about himself.</p><p>when the first fingers breaches his entrance, mingi wails, pushing his hips down eagerly onto the digit. the friction is unlike ever before, nerves sparking to light with every slow thrust of just the single finger. yunho lets out a deep breath as mingi shifts his hips back, practically begging for more. when the alpha complies with a second finger, it sinks in without any resistance. mingi shudders and moans shakily, fingers clawing at yunho's shoulders from how good it feels—from how sensitive he is. </p><p>"i–it's so different, yunho." he pants. "it feels so good."</p><p>he can feel precum staining the underside of his belly and yunho's shirt as he ruts slowly forward. "shit, mingi. you're wet everywhere," the alpha says. his voice is a little strained, as if he's wholly affected by all of it too.</p><p>the third finger sinks in easily, much like the second one, and mingi cries out at the friction. yunho hasn't even purposefully hit his prostate but mingi feels so close to cuming already. when he says as much, yunho curses and doubles his efforts. his fingers work up a steady rhythm that has mingi gasping with every thrust. the slight brushes against his prostate make him jerk and shake and the wet, squelching of yunho's fingers with every push drives him insane. </p><p>"my pretty omega," yunho huffs out, mouthing at mingi's collarbone. every touch of skin on skin lights a tingling fire through mingi's gut, pushing him closer to the edge. "cum for me, mingi. show me how good you feel."</p><p>the words are all it takes for mingi to seize up. warm cum stripes yunho's shirt as mingi's thighs start shaking uncontrollably and the omega lets out long, loud whimpers as pleasure sings through his body, sparking behind his eyes and making his toes curl. yunho's fingers don't still as mingi rides out his orgasm, hole clenching tightly around the alpha's fingers and making the squelching sounds even filthier. </p><p>mingi's cock dribbles a sad last bit of cum as he pushes against yunho's shoulder. the alpha stills, but doesn't pull out, wriggling his fingers and chuckling when mingi convulses at the movement. </p><p>"fuck, yunho. that's the hardest i've cum in so long." mingi finally says when he feels his voice return to him. he's still breathing heavily, but the aftershocks have died down and now his limbs are heavy and sated. </p><p>"you're still dripping, mingi," yunho says, mirth tinging his voice as he wriggles his fingers some more. the omega moans weakly, feeling arousal sparking again in his gut. </p><p>"stop, you're gonna make me hard again," he whines, but yunho just smiles devilishly and starts thrusting his fingers languidly. </p><p>mingi moans louder this time, head coming down to knock lightly against the alpha's forehead. "fuck," he drawls out. he can feel yunho is still hard at his hip, hot length practically pulsing as mingi grinds a little against it. </p><p>"are you gonna fuck me this time?" mingi asks and watches as yunho's eyes come up to meet his. there's a pretty flush to his cheeks as he blinks up at mingi, lips pressing into an amused little smile. </p><p>"do you want me to?" the alpha questions, fingers stilling inside of him. mingi nods and tilts his head a little in questions.</p><p>"why? why are you looking at me like that?" </p><p>the alpha chuckles as his fingers start crooking inside him, drawing out a low whimper from the omega. "it's the first time we've fucked since your last heat, mingi."</p><p>the realization dawns on mingi hard and a warmth that's not unlike the hot stirring of arousal spreads through him, dripping from his head down to his toes. yunho watches him as mingi's eyes go big and round and then his scent spikes in something sweet and tangy. the alpha laughs when mingi bites his lip, unable to stop the large grin from spreading on his cheeks. </p><p>"how romantic," mingi mumbles, a bit frazzled by the realization. the alpha laughs even louder. </p><p>mingi lets himself drown in yunho's laughter—in his earthy, warm, woody scent—and starts a little when he feels his cock jump. "romantic indeed," yunho replies. </p><p>he removes his fingers from inside mingi to hoist him up a little higher and to lean in. there's still laughter between them as yunho kisses mingi silly, nipping at his lips and grinding up into mingi's hardening cock. </p><p>"i think i'm gonna die soon if you don't fuck me." </p><p>all of mingi's reservations about his horniess seems to have flown out the window as he pulls away from yunho's lips. the alpha's eyes are sparkling when he meets them again. </p><p>mingi's always known that yunho was beautiful. but in that moment, he can't seem to find the words to explain just how beautiful the alpha is with his hair askew and cheeks flushed and smiling so fondly up at him.</p><p>"okay," is all yunho says.</p><p>mingi grimaces a little as he slips off of yunho's lap. the alpha pulls off his shirt to wipe at all the slick mingi's dripped on his thighs, cooling rapidly and making his skin tacky. mingi drags off his own shirt and glances down at his full stomach. he can only see the tip of his own dick past it and the thought makes him blush a little. when yunho comes up behind him, his body is warm against the line of his back and mingi shivers as the alpha presses his lips to his shoulder and then drags them up to his scent gland, lapping at the soft skin there. </p><p>"so pretty," he whispers, big hands coming to settle on mingi's waist. "such a pretty omega can come untouched again, can't he?" </p><p>the sweet tone of yunho's voice saying such filthy words sends a chill down mingi's spine. he nods with a low whimper and jerks when the alpha brings his hands to cup mingi's stomach. the omega's hands immediately fly up to land on top of yunho's, warmth spreading as he feels yunho smiling into the crook of his neck. something about the movement makes mingi sigh and close his eyes, tilting his head back to lean on yunho's shoulder. </p><p>"you're amazing, mingi. don't ever forget that," the alpha says so low that mingi almost doesn’t hear him. </p><p>a whoosh of air leaves mingi's lungs as he feels the hot head of yunho's cock prodding at his hole, slick dripping out of him steadily. when yunho finally pushes in, mingi can't contain the scream that's punched out of him. he feels himself clenching vice-like around yunho's length and the alpha moans brokenly behind him, stilling just halfway in. </p><p>"m–mingi," yunho gasps. mingi feels the alpha pushing him forward and before he knows it, he's grasping the sheets in his hands, crying out as yunho grinds a little deeper. </p><p>"mingi–i'm not–hurting you, right?" the alpha asks, pressing kisses along mingi's shoulders. it takes mingi a few long moments to stop shaking, overwhelmed by the pleasure that keeps shooting through him where they're connected. </p><p>"i'm okay," he manages to gasp, one hand reaching behind him blindly. yunho takes it and laces their fingers together, breathing hard. </p><p>"you gotta relax, mingi." mingi can faintly feel the way yunho's cock pulses in need and nods, taking a few deep breaths. </p><p>"go ahead.”</p><p>his gasp gets stuck in his chest as yunho slowly pushes forward all the way, hips coming to rest flush against mingi's slick coated ass and thighs. the stretch and weight of the alpha is overwhelming and mingi finally manages to choke out a moan when yunho also lets out a shaky breath. </p><p>"it's–i'm good, yunho. just–fuck," mingi's brain is muddled and he doesn't think he's making any sense but yunho chuckles breathlessly behind him. the first slow thrust of the alpha's cock has mingi whimpering, the head dragging just right against his prostate. yunho thrusts slowly, but deep and the overwhelming sensation of the alpha’s cock fitting snugly inside of him makes mingi claw at the sheets with his free hand. it isn’t long before mingi peaks again.</p><p>his orgasm crashes through him suddenly like a tidal wave. there's probably going to be a notice for a noise complaint on their door in the morning, but mingi can't help the shout he lets out as cum stripes the sheets and his belly again as wave after wave of his orgasm crashes through him. yunho gasps too as mingi's hole flutters and clenches around him and the omega mewls as he feels the alpha's knot expanding.</p><p>"fuck," yunho moans, draping himself over mingi's back as his own orgasm suddenly ripples through him. the omega feels tears in his eyes as his oversensitive prostate is prodded by yunho's knot, milking out a stray bead of cum. he whimpers as he feels yunho's cock twitch inside him, pulsing as it spills hot cum into him. </p><p>it takes a long moment for yunho's high to pass and when it finally does, mingi feels almost delirious, exhaustion making his limbs heavy and his brain fuzzy. yunho manages to lay them down on the bed, avoiding the drying cum splattered on the sheets. </p><p>mingi closes his eyes as yunho lays a hand on his stomach and noses at his scent gland. "you did so good, mingi." </p><p>the praise sends another bout of shivers down mingi's spine and he nestles into the warmth behind him, trying to touch as much of his skin to yunho's. "thank you, alpha," he manages to mumble. </p><p>they bask in the post-orgasmic silence, breathing in each other’s scents as yunho’s knot goes down. when yunho’s soft cock finally slips out of mingi, he whines, feeling cum and slick dripping out of him and making a mess between their bodies. </p><p>“we need a bath,” yunho announces, but mingi doesn’t want to move. </p><p>“i’m tired,” mingi replies, burying his face into the covers. “don’t wanna move.”</p><p>when yunho’s body heat moves away from him, mingi opens his eyes in search of the alpha. he hears the bathtub filling up and rubs his thighs together at the tacky feeling of drying bodily fluids. he definitely does need a bath.</p><p>when yunho comes back into the room in his full, naked glory, mingi immediately reaches out for him. he’s not even concerned about the fact that this is the first time he’s seen yunho naked outside of his heat or the other’s rut. he’s not even concerned with the fact that there’s dried cum covering him in something like head to toe. all he’s concerned with is getting the warmth of the alpha’s skin back on his. </p><p>and yunho seems to not mind any of the former things either because he scoops mingi up into his arms, helping him off of the bed and guiding the almost whimpering omega into the bathroom and the warm bathwater. yunho climbs in behind him and mingi is impressed at the size of the bathtub because they’re both quite tall and he doesn’t even have to bend his knees too much to sink into the water up to his chest.</p><p>“not too hot?” yunho asks, using his hands to pour the water over mingi’s shoulders. </p><p>the omega hums and shakes his head. “it’s perfect.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. ii. every waking moment of our lives</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>cw //</p>
<p>pregnant sex, body insecurity</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>mingi perks up when he hears the chime of the front door opening. it’s nearing lunch time and he’s craving something sweet and has been contemplating ordering some ice cream—even though he knows his mom would yell at him if she’d heard his thoughts—when yunho enters the room with a puppy-like smile on his face. </p>
<p>“what are you doing here?” mingi asks and squeaks as yunho hauls him up out of his desk. </p>
<p>“i am taking you,” he pauses for effect, “on a lunch date.” </p>
<p>the words leave a high flush on mingi’s cheeks. he hasn’t been on a date since...well, mingi doesn’t really remember. he trails after yunho, a little confusedly, letting the alpha steer him down the hall to the bedroom. </p>
<p>“put something nice on. i’ll be waiting outside!” </p>
<p>mingi stands in the doorway for a few seconds, looking after yunho who hastily runs back out. in a slight daze, he finds his favorite cream sweater that falls down his shoulders and almost (not quite so much anymore) hides his swollen belly. he also finds himself in front of the mirror, dabbing on the slightest bit of concealer and fluffing out his hair. he switches out his chunky black rimmed glasses for some lighter gold rimmed ones and then, just for good measure, swipes on a layer of gloss. </p>
<p>yunho is waiting outside the apartment, he realizes when he doesn’t see the alpha in the living room. there’s a certain subtle excitement surging through his body as he pulls on socks and his shoes. he takes a couple of deep breaths before he pushes the door open and is surprised to find yunho is standing with his back turned to him. </p>
<p>when the alpha turns though, mingi feels himself grinning hard as he sees a bouquet of yellow flowers. they’re pretty and dainty and mingi counts seventeen as he accepts them from the alpha’s hands. “seventeen weeks, right?” yunho asks, eyes lighting up as mingi nods.</p>
<p>the alpha stands in front of him, regarding him with a bright smile and mingi finds the blush on his cheeks burning even brighter. there’s a certain twinkle in yunho’s eyes and then the alpha is reaching over to squeeze mingi’s hand in his lightly.</p>
<p>they leave the bouquet at the apartment before making their way downstairs. yunho chivalrously opens the car door for mingi, to which the omega chuckles at, and then bounds over to the driver’s side of the car. mingi can make out the excited bounce in his step. </p>
<p>“lunch date, huh?” mingi asks when they pull out of the parking garage and into the street. yunho hums, smile never leaving his face. “where are you taking me?” </p>
<p>“it’s a surprise!” </p>
<p>they park the car a few blocks from their destination and walk the rest of the way. the streets are narrow and mingi looks around at all of the cute little boutiques as they walk. he also can’t tear his eyes away from the way yunho holds his hand tightly as he leads mingi around snack carts and street stalls and then comes to a stop in front of a small restaurant with lanterns hanging from the doorway and japanese scrawled into the wooden sign perched over the entry. </p>
<p>“one of the people i work with said this place has the best sushi,” yunho says, presenting the restaurant with a giddy little smile. he goes to open the door to the restaurant but mingi pulls him back, a lopsided smile spreading over his features. </p>
<p>“this is really nice, yunho, but i can’t eat raw fish.” mingi gestures to his stomach.</p>
<p>the wide-eyed look that crosses the alpha’s face makes mingi feel a little bad. he’d probably spent the entire morning looking up restaurants and asking around for recommendations and now mingi’s gone and burst his bubble. “i’m sorry,” the omega adds guiltily. </p>
<p>but then yunho is standing up straight and frowning, squeezing mingi’s hand in his a little. “there’s nothing to be sorry about, mingi. i should have remembered this.” </p>
<p>mingi watches as yunho pouts, kicking at something on the ground. he looks almost like a kicked puppy with its tail between its legs. he can’t help but giggle, though, and reaches his free hand out to swipe his thumb at yunho’s cheek fondly. “we can just eat somewhere else. we passed tons of restaurants on our way here.”</p>
<p>yunho perks up a little and nods. he asks mingi what he’s craving and the omega replies with “something sweet,” chuckling when yunho says he remembers seeing a crepe shop just a block down.</p>
<p>lunch dates become a constant from then on. yunho learns what mingi can and can’t eat and takes him out every few days to a cute little hole in the wall place or to some brunch reservation that he’s scheduled a week in advance. mingi loves spending the couple of hours in between work with the alpha, eating and laughing and having a good time. it also seems that yunho makes it a tradition to get him a new bouquet of flowers every week, the number of flowers corresponding to the number of weeks that mingi’s been pregnant. </p>
<p>a couple of weeks into their arrangement, while the two are sitting at a lunch cafe just down the street from the apartment, mingi yelps loudly. yunho’s eyes go round in concern as he reaches over the table that separates them.</p>
<p>“what’s wrong?” the alpha asks and mingi meets his eyes with wide eyes of his own and then flinches again as he feels the stirring in his stomach. </p>
<p>he drops his hands down to the left side of his stomach and gasps when he feels the skittering again, this time a little harder. “the baby’s kicking.”</p>
<p>yunho clambours over to sit next to him in the booth after letting out a high noise. he places a hand next to mingi’s and they wait, heads bowed together and eyes met with something like anticipation and just as mingi starts to think that it won’t happen again, he feels it, much stronger than the first two times. </p>
<p>“oh,” yunho says softly and stares down at their joined hands on mingi’s stomach, blinking a few times in disbelief. when the alpha finally looks up to meet mingi’s eyes, there are tears collecting and a giant grin is spreading slowly. </p>
<p>he dives in to kiss mingi and the omega giggles as their noses knock a little in haste. yunho kisses him deep and then pulls away to let out a small breath before placing one, two, three kisses on the corner of his mouth.</p>
<p>“did you feel how strong it was?” the alpha finally says as he pulls away. a single tear has streaked down his face and mingi reaches over to wipe it away. </p>
<p>“yea, i did.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>they schedule an appointment with the obgyn for the next day, wanting to make sure the baby and mingi are both healthy. his doctor is impressed by how healthy the baby seems to be and gasps a little when the baby kicks while she checks it’s heartbeat. she comments on how strong the kick was and yunho beams next to mingi. </p>
<p>mingi had assured yunho that he could go to the appointment alone, but yunho throws that notion in the garbage even before mingi finishes his thought. he’s taken a late lunch and has someone else take over for him for one of his afternoon meetings and the omega is extremely proud to have such an attentive alpha by his side. </p>
<p>mingi isn’t expecting to feel so good when they finish with their appointment, but there’s something like adrenaline and an abundance of endorphins coursing through him on the car ride home. it makes him feel kind of reckless and sexy and it shows as they get into the elevator at the apartment complex and mingi pushes yunho against the wall and kisses him feverishly. </p>
<p>the alpha reciprocates with a bark of laughter, gripping mingi’s hips hard and groaning when the omega does something sinful with his tongue. they fly apart when the ding sounds and the doors of the elevator opens on their floor. luckily no one is in the hallway. they quickly make it into the apartment and mingi finds himself losing his sanity as yunho eats him out in the entryway. </p>
<p>the alpha accidentally ends up missing a pretty important meeting that afternoon but doesn’t seem too stressed about it when he gets home that night and mingi is waiting for him with a bubble bath going and sweet kisses.</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>******</p>
</div><p> </p>
<p>when the news arrives, mingi finds himself feeling strange. seonghwa has just given birth to two beautiful and healthy twin baby boys and although mingi is immensely happy for his friends, he finds himself a little bewildered by it all. </p>
<p>he's tucked into bed when yunho returns home from work, hands wrapped protectively around his ever growing middle and staring off into space in the dimly lit room. the alpha comes to kneel on the floor in front of him and smoothes a hand through mingi’s hair. </p>
<p>“everything okay?” </p>
<p>mingi nods and then slowly shakes his head. he slowly pushes himself up, wincing as his back protests the movement. his body is changing day by day and slowly he’s feeling the changes catching up to him—the pain in his back and the random contractions he sometimes gets during the day, not to mention the way his feet seem to always be swollen. </p>
<p>“i can’t fit into my favorite shoes,” he finds himself saying, to which yunho makes an amused sort of face. </p>
<p>“i can get you new shoes, mingi.” but then the omega is laughing, shaking his head at his own ridiculousness. </p>
<p>“no, that’s not what i meant to say.” he pulls yunho up to the bed, cupping the alpha’s jaw to look into his eyes. “i’m just nervous about the birthing process, i think, after speaking with seonghwa on the phone this morning.” </p>
<p>yunho’s mouth forms an ‘o’ and mingi finds himself laughing again. “it’s okay. i know everything is new for you too. i don’t expect you to have any answers, yunho.”</p>
<p>the alpha relaxes, but only a little, at these words. “maybe i can figure out how to help you? we can take some birthing classes if you want? or i heard swimming is good for pregnant partners?”</p>
<p>mingi absolutely loves this about yunho. he’s always trying his best to make mingi feel better, more comfortable. he can see the sincerity in everything the alpha does. and every day mingi is so glad he’s doing this with yunho.</p>
<p>“it’s okay, alpha. i think seonghwa is gonna coach me through some of it when he’s feeling up to it. we still have a bit to go until i’m ready to pop,” he assures. “just got overwhelmed is all.”</p>
<p>yunho wraps him up in his arms and peppers mingi’s face with kisses. it makes the omega giggle, squirming in the alpha’s lap and letting the tension in the room fade. when the alpha is sated, he kisses mingi long and deep, sighing into the omega’s mouth. </p>
<p>“you don’t have to do all of this,” yunho makes big gestures with his hands, “coping and stuff on your own, mingi. we’re doing this together, remember?” </p>
<p>he takes mingi’s hands and kisses his knuckles; smoothes his thumbs over the joints. mingi feels something fluttering in his chest as yunho regards him with big eyes, something unfamiliar settling deep in his warm brown irises. warmth spreads through his cheeks as the fluttering travels down to his stomach. </p>
<p>“you can tell me these things. i want you to tell me these things.” </p>
<p>mingi purses his lips. “i just...i know you’re busy and i don’t want to just call you in the middle of the day because i’m having a mini crisis and–”</p>
<p>but yunho stops him. “no, mingi. you absolutely <em>can </em>call me in the middle of the day. in fact, i <em>want </em> you to call me in the middle of the day.” mingi raises his eyebrows as he feels a ramble coming on. </p>
<p>“i want to know everything you’re thinking. i want you to tell me if you’re anxious or worried or hungry. mingi, i want to know if you’re just—i don’t know—missing my voice or something!” he leans forward like he can’t help himself and presses a searing kiss to mingi’s lips. “i want you to…” </p>
<p>but the alpha trails off, uncertainty clouding the edges of his expression. mingi watches the corner of yunho’s mouth twitch as he blinks a few times to collect his thoughts.</p>
<p>“i want to be your mate, mingi.” the alpha voices quietly.</p>
<p>a surprised grunt comes from yunho when mingi all but launches himself at the alpha. his stomach is a small obstacle, but he just can’t help himself as he wraps his arms around yunho and kisses him. </p>
<p>his heart is racing in his chest as he laughs out a garbled little sound. the fluttering inside of him returns full force, making him shiver as he feels the alpha gripping his hips to steady him. the pads of his warm fingers slip into mingi’s shirt and the touch sends sparks of electricity down his spine. </p>
<p>they kiss for a long while, exploring and prodding and letting out little moans. when mingi pulls away, it’s only because a low ache has started in his back and he can feel a small damp spot forming on his bottom, slick making an appearance as yunho’s fingers trace little circles into the exposed skin. </p>
<p>“i want you to mate me, too,” mingi finally says when he’s caught his breath, letting himself calm down from the rush of what he can only describe as affection. yunho hums, smiling as he pecks mingi’s swollen lips again. </p>
<p>“i will, mingi. i promise you.”</p>
<p> </p>
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<p>mingi and yunho take a trip to visit seonghwa and hongjoong and the new twins. their first kid, sejoon, is obviously very excited to have siblings, though he’s still a little young to fully understand. hongjoong is absolutely scared shitless that sejoon is going to try to pick up one of the twins when he’s not looking or something of that nature, but mingi can see how gentle the kid is with his brothers, smiling down at them fondly.</p>
<p>seonghwa looks absolutely perfect, even after having delivered twins. he’s practically glowing as he pads around their house in a boxy yellow dress, offering cookies and tea and asking them to excuse the mess even though every surface is somehow still spotless.</p>
<p>the older omega asks mingi about his own pregnancy and nods along as mingi complains a little about how his hands have started aching and how he keeps waking himself up in the middle of the night because of his own snoring. yunho looks up, surprised by this new information, but hongjoong cackles as he recalls that one time in college when yunho slept through a fire drill in the library. </p>
<p>mingi reaches over and pats the alpha's knee, assuring him that being a heavy sleeper is probably a good thing for them. </p>
<p>seonghwa lets mingi hold one of the twins and although it’s not his first time holding a baby, mingi’s a little nervous. sejin, the younger of the twins, is tiny in mingi’s long arms—swaddled in a tight blanket with the cutest little hat on his head. he coos when the baby yawns, and his little mouth parts in the cutest way. </p>
<p>yunho is also nervously holding sehyun, the older of the twins, looking down at the tiny baby in awe. when mingi turns, and locks eyes with the alpha, he can see the little stars that sparkle in between the warm brown, and can’t help the fond smile that stretches over his features.</p>
<p>yunho goes to distract sejoon by becoming a dinosaur (sejoon’s favorite animal, apparently) when hongjoong goes to feed the twins and seonghwa pulls mingi to the kitchen. he perches on one of the barstools and settles mingi with a raised eyebrow. </p>
<p>“when are you two going to properly mate?” the older asks, starting to fold a bandana from a heap that’s sitting on the counter. mingi remains standing because he doesn’t wanna take any painful chances with the stool. </p>
<p>he shrugs. “when we’re ready?” </p>
<p>seonghwa huffs and rolls his eyes. “and when, exactly, is that going to be?” </p>
<p>mingi shrugs again and grabs at one of the bandanas. it’s extra soft between his hands and he plays with the edges of it. “i don’t know. just, when we feel like we’re ready.” </p>
<p>seonghwa goes to jump in but mingi feels himself talking over the older. “yunho’s been really good to me and the baby, okay? you don’t need to be so harsh on him. he’s really doing everything he can.” </p>
<p>“and we’re not like other couples; you know that. it might take some time, but i have a feeling yunho’s waiting for something.” he looks up at the older who still has one eyebrow raised in question. “we’re doing more than okay, so you don’t need to worry so much.”</p>
<p>the older regards mingi for a bit before sighing with a nod. he pouts as he finishes folding the bandana in his hands. “i just want whatever’s best for the both of you. you know that, right?” </p>
<p>mingi nods smiling as seonghwa makes his way over to pull him down for a hug. when they part, the older places his hands on mingi’s stomach. “you know, i think i want a baby girl next.” </p>
<p>there’s a loud squawk of indignation from somewhere that’s distinctly the sound of hongjoong choking and then seonghwa laughs when the alpha rushes back out to the living room with both twins cradled in his arms. </p>
<p>“we are not trying for another baby, seonghwa.” he semi-shouts, not wanting to startle the twins. “you literally just had twins!” </p>
<p>the older omega shoots mingi a look over his shoulder before he goes to take one of the twins into his arms. “we’ll talk about it,” he says and ushers the alpha back down the hallway,</p>
<p> </p>
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  <p>******</p>
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<p>mingi’s just going about his morning—shirtless, pantless, briefs on a little too low, courtesy of his 25 weeks of pregnancy and toothbrush hanging from his mouth—when he notices them. he’s known his body would change throughout the process. he’s gained a bit of weight, especially around his hips and thighs. he’s gone up half a size in shoes from the constant swelling in his feet. he’s also got a dark strip of skin that stretches from his belly button down to his dick and not to mention, his belly button has inverted. </p>
<p>mingi’s probably subconsciously known about all of his physical changes and yet the sight of the faint red marks down the side of his stomach shocks him still. he feels a dribble of toothpaste running down the corner of his mouth as he runs his fingers across the dimpled skin. the feeling is barely noticeable, but still there. stretch marks—just a handful of them, jagged and pink—litter his otherwise pale skin.</p>
<p>he’s so busy staring staring at his stomach that he doesn’t even register yunho entering the bathroom and then starts when he feels yunho’s warm hands on his stomach. the alpha’s smiling at him, clad in just a pair of briefs too. </p>
<p>“why the long face?”</p>
<p>and mingi, looking between yunho’s flushed, sleep ridden face and the pink stretch marks on his skin, doesn’t know what to say. </p>
<p>he’s always been a little insecure about his physical characteristics. he’s tall and lean, but his eyes are small and his nose is a little too big and he’s always thought he’s had these weird knees that just make him look awkward. he still has some scars on his skin from a bout of extremely ferocious acne in high school and well...mingi’s got some insecurities, but he hadn’t even realized he’d be so devastated over the stretch marks maring his skin. it might be because he’s always liked his thin, tapered waist to hip ratio and his long torso to shoulder ratio. but now his smooth skin is dimpled and scarred, forever reminding him of his insecurities, one jagged line at a time. </p>
<p>yunho seems to sense the distress that’s probably souring his scent and brings mingi’s face forward with a gentle but firm hand. the alpha tries to meet his eyes, but mingi resists, dropping his toothbrush into the sink nearest to him and trying to pull away. </p>
<p>“mingi, what’s wrong?” yunho tries, gripping at his arms. mingi jerks away, feeling the hot prickling of tears starting up behind his eyes. he bends over the sink and spits out the toothpaste he’s been holding in his mouth, trying to distract himself with the sound of running water and the coolness of it in his mouth. </p>
<p>yunho just stands there and waits for him to finish rinsing out his mouth and when mingi straightens back up, he tries again to make eye contact. “tell me what’s wrong, mingi.” he pleads, moving to block mingi’s path back into the bedroom. </p>
<p>it's a mistake for mingi turn his eyes up to the alpha’s because the bubbling irritation under his skin immediately washes away, drowning him in his own shattered self-confidence. the tears spill over as yunho’s eyes dart around his face, trying to figure out what’s wrong. </p>
<p>“w–what’s wrong, mingi? i can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” the alpha pleads, panic pitching his voice a little higher than usual. </p>
<p>yunho brings his hands up to cup his cheeks, concern blossoming on his handsome features and making his scent bitter. he wipes at the tears on mingi's face, eyes still searching.</p>
<p>mingi closes his eyes and lets the tears fall. there are no chest rattling sobs or pitiful wails, he just lets his tears fall silently as despair settles in his gut, darkness clouding his mind and clutching at his senses. the only thing that brings him back is the warm sensation of yunho's hands traveling down his shoulders and his arms, settling on the small of his back and tracing over his hips and up his stomach, stilling there briefly before coming up to wipe some more tears. he doesn't say anything, just reminds mingi of his presence with his warm hands trailing over his skin and whispers reassurances.</p>
<p>when mingi finally opens his eyes again, yunho is just a blurred outline against the tears that have collected on his eyelashes, so he brings a hand up to roughly wipe at his face, frowning at the way his hands are shaking. and then he presses his lips together, watching the way the alpha's eyebrows rise expectantly. </p>
<p>his voice is thick as he says, "i'm ugly, yunho."</p>
<p>there's an earth shattering intake of breath from the alpha. it rings in mingi's ears and reverberates through his brain, piercing the muddy, horrid thoughts. he sees the alpha's features twitch into something sad and crumpled as he pulls mingi into his chest, locking him in his embrace. a shaky sigh exits his lungs and mingi folds into the warm body. </p>
<p>"mingi," the alpha starts. his voice wavers, thick with desperation. "you are the most beautiful person i've ever laid eyes on."</p>
<p>yunho drags his soft lips over mingi's neck, threading his fingers through the hair at his nape and breathing in shakily. "you're gorgeous in every possible way and i'm lucky to be here with you." </p>
<p>when the alpha pulls away, mingi can just make out unshed tears in his eyes. his hands are gentle as he lays them on mingi's stomach. as if sensing yunho's presence, there's kicking from within that startles the both of them and the alpha smiles. "i'm so, <em>so</em> lucky, mingi, that you chose me."</p>
<p>yunho leans his forehead against mingi's, one hand coming up to brush a few more stray tears away. "you have no idea how beautiful you are, mingi, but i'll try to remind you every day." </p>
<p>"<em>every day</em>."</p>
<p>the alpha's soft lips drag over mingi's slowly, coaxing a small whimper out of him. mingi feels himself relaxing, worries slowly draining out of him as if yunho is reviving him, pulling out all of the bad and instead filling him with warmth and reassurance. he kisses mingi for a long time, pulling away and then pressing forward again, over and over again. it leaves the omega trembling, exhaling slowly when he can and inhaling sharply at every nip of his bottom lip. </p>
<p>when yunho pulls away for the last time, mingi finds himself chasing the feeling of the alpha's lips, whining at the loss of familiar contact. when he opens his eyes, the tears have dried, leaving itchy, dry tracks on his cheeks. yunho is looking at him with a small smile and stars in his eyes, fingers pressing soothing little circles into his hands and wrists and urging him to relax. </p>
<p>"sorry," mingi finally says, blunt nails digging into his cheeks as he tries to wipe away some of the itchiness on his cheeks. yunho stills his hand though before he even gets to his face. the alpha runs a corner of a towel under water and gently dabs at mingi's cheeks, making the omega blush.</p>
<p>"you don't need to apologize, mingi. i just don't wanna see you so sad." yunho replies, pushing mingi's hair out of his face when he's done cleaning his face. the omega leans into the touch and sighs, eyes darting back to the mirror at the stretch marks on his skin. they seem less daunting now though, almost as if they're supposed to be a part of him. </p>
<p>"i just–i knew the baby was gonna come with some bodily changes but i guess i wasn't really entirely ready for them yet." </p>
<p>yunho meets mingi's eyes through the mirror then, dragging them lower to his stomach and passing over his stretch marks and then coming back up to look him in the eyes. for the tiniest moment, mingi's scared that yunho's face will betray his words—that he'll look at him in contempt and disgust. but mingi relaxes when all he sees is adoration in the way the corner of the alpha's mouth twitches up and then there's a sudden wave of arousal that hits mingi'a senses, making him whip his head around to yunho. </p>
<p>the alpha's hand comes up to latch at mingi's hip, pulling him closer as he buries his nose in the crook of mingi's neck. the spiked scent of yunho's arousal is more prominent so close, bleeding off of him slowly but potently. "don't know what you mean, mingi. you look absolutely delectable." </p>
<p>yunho leans in to lap mingi's scent gland, making the omega squirm a little at the sensation. yunho's scent spikes again as his hands tighten around his hips. careful not to jostle the omega's stomach. "the sight of you carrying my pups so well–" yunho cuts himself off to let out a low groan that sounds almost like a growl. </p>
<p>mingi whimpers when yunho's teeth lightly scratch over the taught skin of his scent gland, the pressure sending a spike of arousal down his own spine. mingi leans into the touch and lets yunho run his tongue over his neck like he's a popsicle, shuddering at every light scratch of his teeth on his scent gland and collarbones. the alpha's pheromones are thick in the air as yunho suckles at his skin, marking him with red marks that blossom over his skin and match the red lines on his stomach. </p>
<p>"y–yunho," mingi whines, feeling his blood rushing south and the first drops of slick seeping from his entrance. the alpha must smell it because yunho pushes forward to wrap his arms around mingi, hands coming cup his ass to squeeze. </p>
<p>"will you let me make you feel good? would you like that?" the alpha asks, pulling away for a fraction to look mingi in the eyes. </p>
<p>the omega sees the alpha's blown pupils and his scent is spiking already, but there's still that lovely softness in his eyes that mingi thinks he'll never get tired of. he nods and watches as yunho blossoms into a smile. </p>
<p>it's like mingi's never felt pleasure before because like this, laid out on his side with yunho gently rubbing circles into his stomach right over the stretch marks and the alpha's cock hitting all of his most sensitive parts. mingi feels like he's edging into some kind of paradoxical euphoria. he cries out at every push of yunho's hips and leans into the way the alpha's lips don't seem to want to leave his skin. it's all too much, the sensations building and stretching and mingi sobs as he cums—the pleasure is rippling and travels through him in waves. </p>
<p>the first wave hits him roughly, sending his senses on hyperdrive and making even the feeling of their soft sheets feel good against his skin. the second wave comes in the form of tingling that travels down his spine and to his elbows and knees and makes his fingers and toes curl. the final wave crashes with lingering little spasms, making him clench around yunho who groans into his shoulder over and over again as his knot is squeezed and his dick paints mingi's insides white. </p>
<p>he can feel the alpha everywhere as he comes down from his high, scent thickened and draping over him, enveloping him in warmth and comfort and so much <em>yunho</em>. ming whines as yunho kisses over the bruises he's left on mingi's shoulders and mumbles words that the omega hums at—words like beautiful and amazing and mingi thinks he might be a little loopy because he swears he hears something like <em>love</em> mixed in. </p>
<p>"thank you, alpha," mingi manages to say through the haze of his orgasm and the mushy state of his brain. yunho hums and giggles as he strokes mingi's stomach and then reaches to intertwine their fingers, tucking his digits into mingi's so perfectly that the omega cracks his eyes open to look at the way their hands just <em>fit</em>. </p>
<p>"how are you feeling?" yunho asks, whispered into mingi's neck. the omega closes his eyes again. </p>
<p>"good."</p>
<p>"good." yunho replies, nuzzling into his back between his shoulders. mingi chuckles. </p>
<p>"you're stunning just the way you are, mingi," the alpha voices again, even lower than before. mingi shivers as yunho's hot breath fans over his back. "you're kind and perfect in every way possible and you're going to be the best parent. i'm going to be so jealous of our pup when they get all of your attention and i'm just sitting in the corner, pining after you like a sad little grump."</p>
<p>mingi can't help but laugh. "and i'm gonna make sure you remember how special you are from now on, mingi. i'm going to remind you every day; every waking moment of our lives." </p>
<p>he doesn't realize he's got tears in his eyes until they spill over. mingi wipes them away with his unoccupied hand, the other clenching yunho's fingers fiercely. he lets the alpha's words sink into him, letting them soak into his bones and spread warmly throughout every cell of his makeup. </p>
<p>"i–" yunho stutters and then buries himself into mingi's back again to chuckle at himself. he can feel wetness on yunho's face, the alpha's own tears burning into his skin. </p>
<p>"i love you, mingi."</p>
<p>mingi feels himself breathing heavier and heavier as he lets the words ring in his ears. yunho's grip around him tightens minisculely so as not to hurt him, but mingi feels every muscle in his body clenching as those words sink deep. he feels his breath stutter in his chest and feels the alpha's scent draping over him. the first sob is soft as fat tears roll down the side of his face. his arms start shaking, knees knocking against yunho's that are folded behind him. </p>
<p>"mingi–" yunho calls, pulling away and moving over him. he comes to lay in front of mingi, tears shining on his own face, skin flushed and lashes wet and looking ethereal. "mingi, i'm sorry."</p>
<p>but the second sob mingi lets out his strained and choked and his chest rattles as he sucks in a breath and he curls in on himself. the alpha whimpers and comes to curl himself around mingi's delicate form, tucking his arms around the omega protectively. yunho pulls the blanket from under them and pulls it up around mingi, running his fingers through mingi's hair and just letting him cry. </p>
<p>and mingi cries for a long time because...because he can—because yunho lets him. he sobs into the bed and then into yunho's chest when the alpha lets mingi crawl over him and cries until his throat his raw and his eyes are stinging and puffy and until his tears have run dry. </p>
<p>in the end, mingi finds himself hiccuping against the headboard of the bed curled into yunho's still naked body, sniffling every now and again. the alpha looks at him with worry, brows furrowed and eyes dark and mingi wants to reach over and smooth all the lines away. so he does. he tucks yunho's hair back and rubs a thumb over the alpha's eyebrows and down the soft slope of his nose. he traces yunho's tear stained cheeks and presses his thumb into the alpha's lips and then turns his face toward him with a gentle tug at his jaw. </p>
<p>yunho looks at him, his expression softening, and mingi smiles, letting himself be the one to push forward and to connect their lips. the surprised little sound yunho makes is cute, somewhere between a whimper and a yelp. when mingi pulls away, the alpha has his eyes closed.</p>
<p>"you love me?" mingi asks tentatively, hoarse voice crackling but the sound is loud in the silence around them. yunho opens his eyes at mingi's voice.</p>
<p>"i–i've been thinking about it a lot recently. about us and the baby and, well...yea," yunho replies, blinking. the shaky quality of the alpha's voice is unfamiliar to mingi. </p>
<p>"i'm not–it's not a sudden declaration, mingi. i have been thinking about it for a long time now and i just–it felt like the right time." yunho lets out a dejected little laugh then. "but maybe i was wrong."</p>
<p>"no!" mingi almost yells and the claps his hand over his mouth. yunho cocks his head as a smile finally tugs at the corner of his mouth. </p>
<p>"it's not. i mean–yes it was–or um…" mingi stutters, cheeks aflame as he tries to find the right words. "i think i love you, too, is what i meant to say."</p>
<p>the little giggle that yunho lets out is unexpected and mingi finds himself a little in awe of the way the alpha is smiling as he dives in to kiss mingi breathless. yunho is giggling still as he litters mingi's lips with chaste little pecks and then holds out for a long, drawn out kiss. mingi finds his head a little dizzy when the alpha finally pulls away, leaning their foreheads together and catching their breaths. </p>
<p>"it's okay if you're not sure yet, mingi. it's okay because i'll wait for you to be sure."</p>
<p>mingi's chest aches as yunho's eyes, lovely warm brown and holding an infinite ocean of wonder, fix onto his own. "i'll wait forever if i have to."</p>
<p>and mingi laughs, loud and giddy and toothy as he knocks his forehead with the alpha's and then dives in for another searing kiss. </p>
<p>"you absolute sap." mingi rumbles, low in his chest. "i promise i won't make you wait forever, alpha."</p>
<p> </p>
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  <p>******</p>
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<p>they sell the extra bed to some broke college student in incheon, helping out by even delivering the bed. yunho helps unload it for the kid while mingi stands by with his hands tucked protectively under his stomach. now nearly thirty weeks, mingi aches everywhere. he spends the entirety of the week closing out his lease at his own apartment and bossing yunho around as the alpha packs up all of his stuff. jongho and yeosang had stopped by to help, claiming boredom but mingi could see the awed glint in yeosang's eyes as he sat and chatted with mingi. </p>
<p>yunho takes a personal day from work to drive mingi around while the omega goes shopping for the baby. he's got a list of things he needs with the help of his pregnancy guide and confidant, seonghwa. he's excited to be out and about, but his feet are already aching by the second store they visit and the bustle of people around him is making him anxious, hands covering as much of his stomach as possible and tensing every time someone passes by a little too close. </p>
<p>yunho doesn't seem to notice his discomfort yet as the alpha bounces on the balls of his feet, pointing at everything bear themed and giggling as he runs his hands through all of the soft bedding and clothes. mingi likes seeing the alpha so excited and even though he's exhausted already, he tries to smile along at every corner, picking up some things here and there because it's on the list. </p>
<p>they're looking at strollers when mingi finally feels his facade shatter. he's not sure what's set him off—if it's the loud noise of an alligator toy going off over and over again in the next section, or the scents of all of the people mixing around them—but he grabs the sleeve of yunho's shirt hard and takes a deep breath. </p>
<p>"yun–" he doesn't even get to finish before he feels yunho's warm hand over his and then his arms coming to wrap around him. the alpha's scent is all around him now, calming his nerves and making his eyes prickle with tears. </p>
<p>"hey, what's wrong?" yunho asks, concern laced in his voice as he pushes mingi's hair out if his face. the omega closes his eyes. </p>
<p>"i don't know. i'm sorry," he replies, voice thick with exhaustion. "i think i'm just overwhelmed and tired." </p>
<p>yunho hums and lets mingi bask in his embrace for a little longer before the omega feels like he can pull away. "we can pay for what we grabbed and go get some food?" </p>
<p>mingi nods, letting the alpha guide him back to the front of the store. they check out quickly and mingi gawks a little at the price of everything (to be very honest, he hadn't been looking) but yunho doesn't seem to mind as he pays for everything and ushers mingi outside with a gentle smile. mingi's never asked how much yunho makes at his job, but he stores the information in the back of his brain as they head to the parking lot. </p>
<p>food doesn't make mingi feel any better, only the feeling of yunho's hand on his knee as the alpha tries to make mingi eat some more makes him feel a bit grounded. there aren't even that many people in the restaurant yunho had chosen when mingi decided he wasn't really in the mood for anything specific. the food is fine and their waiter is just the right amount of friendly and not too overbearing, yet mingi feels discontent.</p>
<p>yunho frowns when mingi refuses to eat any more, claiming he doesn't feel good—which isn't exactly a lie. the alpha gets mingi's barely touched pasta and salad boxed up and clenches his hand tightly as he walks them back to the car. </p>
<p>mingi feels bad for making yunho worried, but he's just not feeling up for anything. the drive back home is a little awkward and mingi finds himself reeling from the slight distress he can smell in yunho's scent. he looks down at their joined hands on top of the center console and breathes in the way their scent has started to intertwine as well and sighs because he knows he's the one being difficult. </p>
<p>it all comes to a head though when mingi enters the apartment and immediately finds himself in their bedroom. he rattles off something about their sheets needing to be washed and dumps them in the washer before pulling out the navy sheets that were tucked somewhere in the closet. he fits the sheets and then bustles around grabbing his favorite blanket and his body pillow and then finds the little stuffed giraffe that san had given him on his birthday a few years ago and suddenly he's in the closet, yanking off his clothes and shoving on yunho's biggest hoodie the he used to frequently wear in college and his comfy shorts and then turns around and yelps at the way yunho is standing in the doorway, absolutely perplexed. </p>
<p>"mingi are you…" he starts, eyeing the bed that's made up strangely. "are you nesting?"</p>
<p>mingi blinks a couple of times before he finally takes in the sight of at least seven pillows and four blankets piled onto the bed with just a single stuffed giraffe poking out from in between everything. "oh…" he says in realization. </p>
<p>mingi has never been the type to nest. wooyoung says it's because he's too lazy, but mingi knows that it's just because he's not that type of omega. he knows for a fact that yeosang also only nests when he's extremely stressed. when he looks back up at yunho, the alpha has an amused glint in his eyes. he steps forward and wraps mingi up in his arms for the millionth time that day. </p>
<p>"were you just overwhelmed by the need to nest? is that why you've been weird all day?"</p>
<p>mingi shrugs and rubs his face into the junction of yunho's neck, scenting him thoroughly. "maybe? i don't know."</p>
<p>the alpha hums and his breathy chuckle send vibrations down mingi's body. "gotta warm the nest now that it's finished, right?"</p>
<p>mingi nods against yunho's chest but before the alpha can pull him into bed, he races back out to grab one last thing. when yunho sees what it is, mingi can practically see the way his heart melts in his chest. </p>
<p>he lets yunho pull him into the nest of pillows and blankets and they settle into the center, mingi's back to yunho's front. he pulls the little square of fabric from his hands and settles the quilt against his stomach and feels yunho's arms tighten around him. the little green blanket had caught mingi's attention as soon as he's walked into the first store that day. he feels yunho smile into his shoulder.</p>
<p>"it's perfect," the alpha whispers. mingi agrees, eagerly shifting to kiss yunho sweetly. and then just as mingi's about to close his eyes, remembers. </p>
<p>"yunho?" he calls, the alpha hums sleepily. "how much do you make at your job?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>******</p>
</div><p> </p>
<p>yunho starts his pregnancy leave at thirty-two weeks, and it’s a little strange to be in the house with the alpha all day long. mingi, himself is finally on his own pregnancy leave as well and the two find themselves a little lost for what to do. </p>
<p>mingi’s pretty sensitive everywhere now—back pains and leg pains in the night have him up at odd hours and in turn have yunho up, soothing him in any way that he can. the two have worked up a strange sleeping schedule of ‘sleep whenever the fuck you want to’, and while mingi is glad yunho’s trying to adjust to his needs, he’s not quite sure how well this is going to work out for them in the future. </p>
<p>he’s also noticed that his nipples and the general area of his breasts have started becoming much more sensitive and sore. which is “good news,” says his doctor because it’s a sign of his mammary glands getting ready to produce milk for the baby, but mingi finds it’s extremely uncomfortable <em>all the time</em>. </p>
<p>yunho seems to worry about him a lot, now that he gets to be with mingi all day and gets to experience mingi’s everyday routines. he perks up with worry every time mingi makes any kind of sound and rushes to his side to try and help him in any way that he can, and while mingi’s pretty grateful that his alpha is being attentive, he can’t help but feel like he’s being loomed over all the time, as well. </p>
<p>they invite wooyoung and san over one day, just to have a change of plans for once, and while it’s nice to see their friends and to interact with people, mingi finds he’s just exhausted and by the end of the day, he’s more tired and grumpy than anything. </p>
<p>he feels terrible when he snaps at the alpha as they’re getting ready for bed. yunho’s a little tipsy and his hands are a little rough as he kisses mingi against the bathroom counter, nipping along his jaw and brushing a little too hard at his sensitive stomach. </p>
<p>and it isn’t that mingi hadn’t been feeling good. he did feel good; better than he had all day as he lets the alpha kiss his lips sore and bathe him in his scent, but something about that accidental hard brush of his hands had made mingi uncomfortable, so much so that he’d found himself pushing yunho away roughly with something he can only describe as a growl. </p>
<p>but yunho, kind and generous and entirely too loving, doesn’t even flinch as he apologizes to mingi, approaching him with small steps and asking his permission to touch him again. mingi breaks down into tears and lets the alpha pull him off of the bathroom counter and into bed. he lets yunho whisper to him about how good he is and how he’s sorry if he made him uncomfortable. he kisses mingi’s temple goodnight and doesn’t bring it up again. </p>
<p>and ever since then, yunho tries even harder. he tries so passionately that it makes mingi’s heart ache whenever he sees the alpha pouting because as much as he tries, there’s just limits to what he can do about the spasms mingi gets in his calves or the pressure he feels every time he lays down in the wrong position. </p>
<p>“are you sure you don’t want another bite?” yunho asks, leaning forward on the dining table with his lips pouted like a kid. mingi sort of wants to laugh because the alpha looks so adorable, but also he’s been having way too much indigestion as of late and knows it won’t help if he keeps eating. </p>
<p>“i’m okay, yunho. let me start cleaning up while you finish.” the alpha nods dejectedly and goes back to his meal, sulking into his stew. </p>
<p>mingi’s washing dishes when yunho comes up to him with his empty bowls. he can tell the alpha is still pouting, even without looking and smiles a little at the notion. he starts though when he feels yunho’s arms coming to wrap him up from behind, being careful not to jostle him too much. he stirs when the alpha brushes his lips against his scent gland, leaning into the warmth and humming contentedly. he faintly registers the water turning off and realizes his eyes are closed.</p>
<p>“leave the rest,” yunho whispers, ticklishly against his neck. mingi whines. </p>
<p>“‘t’s gonna get gross if i leave it,” mingi replies. he’s slurring his words a little, high on the thick layer of his and yunho’s scents mixing together around them. </p>
<p>the alpha chuckles, teeth scraping lightly against his clothed shoulder. “it’s ok, mingi. i’ll take care of it later.” </p>
<p>mingi doesn’t know what compels him—if it’s the sweetness dripping from yunho’s voice or the way his knees have started to ache faintly—but with his own breathy giggle, he lets yunho pull him out of the kitchen. </p>
<p>he’s not exactly sure where the alpha is going when he gets mingi to sit against the headboard and disappears into their bathroom briefly, but he smiles when yunho returns with his tube of soothing moisturizer and the jar of cream he rubs into his achy feet and legs. </p>
<p>“just relax for me, okay, love?” </p>
<p>yunho’s started calling mingi <em>love </em>only recently, as they’ve had a little more time to explore their feelings for each other. it makes butterflies swirl in his stomach and his scent spike, which yunho seems to enjoy. mingi nods and gives the ‘ok’ when yunho asks if it’s okay for him to undress him. </p>
<p>he feels a little odd being almost entirely nude in front of a fully clothed yunho, but the alpha doesn’t seem to mind at all. he leans in to press light kisses to mingi's knee and his stomach before uncapping the moisturizer and rubbing a large glob of it between his palms. the lotion is warm when yunho brings his hands to gently rest on mingi's stomach before rubbing in wide circles. </p>
<p>mingi can't help but feel like the gesture is extremely intimate, watching the way yunho frowns a little in concentration and seeing the way his large hands work over his skin so tenderly. he feels exposed in all the right ways and feels loved in all the right places. when yunho glances up at him, he smiles and it melts mingi's heart, seeing the alpha so content. </p>
<p>he moves from mingi's stomach to his arms and eventually to his hands, massaging them carefully, yet firmly, trying to work out the fatigue from the smallest crevicea. mingi shivers every time yunho presses hard and lets out little whines when it hurts just right. </p>
<p>he switches to the pain cream when he starts at mingi's feet. the omega blushes a little as yunho takes his feet into his hands and presses the heels in his thumbs and his arches with his knuckles. he feels the tension leaving his body as yunho massages up his calves and works at his knees gingerly. he stares at the way yunho's long fingers press little dimples into his skin, mesmerizing in the simplest way. the fatigue bleeding out of him with every little press and every warm touch sending shivers up and down his spine and making him feel like he's floating.</p>
<p>mingi chuckles when he sees that the alpha's breaking out into a fine line of sweat on his brow. yunho finishes up on mingi's legs and is about to ask him to turn around so he can get at his shoulders when mingi stops him with a firm hand on his upper arm. when yunho looks up, mingi fixes him with the loveliest little gaze, honey practically dripping from his eyes. </p>
<p>"i'm good, yunho. thank you," mingi says, pulling the alpha in for a chaste kiss. yunho's own hands are probably aching from working at him so thoroughly, but the alpha doesn't let on as he kisses mingi again and again, leaving him giggly and a little breathless. </p>
<p>"did that help, at least a little?" yunho asks when he pulls away, lips already red and swollen from the few kisses they've shared.</p>
<p>"it helped. a lot," mingi assures, diving in for another kiss, lips parting halfway to let yunho teasingly lick into his mouth. he lets out a stuttered little moan as yunho's hand comes up to press his fingers into mingi's jaws, opening his mouth up even more so he can push his tongue in just a little further. mingi latches his lips around the slick appendage, sucking roughly and dragging a groan from the alpha. </p>
<p>yunho pulls away, eyes blown and cheeks tinged a pretty pink. "are you trying to rile me up?" he asks, nipping at mingi's earlobes and kissing down his neck, carefully maneuvering himself so he doesn't press against mingi too much. the omega sighs as yunho sucks the skin just below his ear. </p>
<p>"i think it's <em>you</em> trying to rile <em>me</em> up, alpha," mingi points out, wetting his lips at the sensation of yunho's teeth scratching over his scent gland. the alpha chuckles low in his throat.</p>
<p>"and what if i am?" </p>
<p>mingi whines when he feels himself clenching at the first drop of slick spreading around his hole, wetting the bottoms of his underwear. yunho hums, delighted at the spike of mingi's scent, teeth dragging over mingi's collarbones and tongue tracing a line of spit as it travels up mingi's neck. the alpha kisses him hard again. there's something like urgency in the way he presses a little firmer into mingi, hand coming up to hook under his jaw to tilt his head back, diving just a bit further and making mingi whine a little desperately. </p>
<p>"yunho–" he drawls when the alpha moves away. he wants the warmth of yunho's mouth again, want to feel his hands all over him, leaving searing skin at every touch. </p>
<p>"hold on one second for me," the alpha says, pecking mingi's lips one last time before bounding off of the bed and into the bathroom. mingi squeezes his legs together as lust swirls lower and immediately reaches out when yunho returns, wanting the alpha <em>everywhere</em>. </p>
<p>yunho hums as he trails kisses down mingi's chest and stomach and then flops down onto the bed, half dangling off as he mouths at his thighs. mingi can't help the way his legs shake a little at the feeling of yunho's hot breath so close to his cock, filling out quickly from arousal spiraling low in his gut. slick leaks from him, creating a warm wet patch along his ass crack and spreading more with every passing second. he squirms at the uncomfortable feeling of it. the alpha seems unfazed though as he prompts mingi to lift his hips slightly. his underwear is removed unceremoniously, thrown aside carelessly. </p>
<p>"yunho–i, <em>oh</em>," he finds himself letting out a long moan as yunho's hand comes to wrap around his dick because it's warm and slick and—<em>how is it already slick</em>? </p>
<p>"y–yunho?" mingi calls out, breathless from the feeling of yunho stroking him slow and perfect. </p>
<p>"does it feel good?" yunho asks. mingi hadn't even realized his eyes were closed but when he cracks them open, he finds yunho's face just beyond the swell of his stomach, flustered and glistening a little with tiny droplets of sweat. mingi nods, not trusting his voice to convey anything but a whimper. </p>
<p>"good," yunho says before dropping his head. </p>
<p>this time mingi does yell as yunho's tongue, wet and hot, darts out to lick at the underside of his dick. it drags quickly just under the head and flicks filthily against the precum beading at the tip against his slit. mingi wails as yunho does it again and again, spreading the precum and his spit over the head and rubbing it downward with his fingers. he can't seem to control the way his thighs quiver on either side of yunho, intense pleasure rippling through him at every touch. </p>
<p>"such a pretty cock," yunho whispers hotly before ducking down to lick at mingi's balls, trailing his tongue up and up until he's engulfing the head into his mouth, tongue doing that thing where it swirls around and sends flames down mingi's spine. </p>
<p>"ah–!" he yells, choked off on a moan as he feels the dual sensation of yunho's tongue dragging along the head of his dick as he pumps him slowly at the rest of him. "h–how, when did you–ah–get the lube?" he manages to choke out, hips stuttering as yunho hums, vibrations of his voice travelling through mingi's dick and up into his stomach. he's so close, <em>so close</em>. </p>
<p>"grabbed it when i grabbed the lotion," yunho replies nonchalantly as he pushes himself up again, coming up to kiss mingi's stomach and then his lips, sweet and lingering. he prompts mingi to lift his legs, knees coming up and feet braced against the bed. there's a slight pressure on his lower back now, but he forgets about it as yunho brings a finger to probe at his leaking entrance, just exposed enough for him to tease. </p>
<p>"y–yun," mingi whines, clenching his eyes shut as he feels the alpha's hand wrap around him again, pumping searingly slow. he's trembling everywhere now as pleasure blooms in his entire body. </p>
<p>"you're doing so good, mingi. look so beautiful," the alpha assures, two fingers rubbing over his entrance again and again, coaxing more and more slick out of him. his other hand pumps and squeezes at his cockhead just right, putting just enough pressure on the underside where mingi's most sensitive. </p>
<p>"i can't–yun–i'm gonna–ah!" it's a tight squeeze, between the limited space of his ass and the bed and, but a single finger pushes in halfway, making mingi shout and buck, cock jerking as a thick spurt of milky precum shoots from the head. he's so close he can feel it in the tips of his fingers and on the back of his tongue. </p>
<p>"almost there, babe. almost there," yunho says, completely breathless and eyes dark and wild. "cum for me. i want you to cum prettily for me, <em>love</em>." </p>
<p>and it's that new nickname, <em>love</em>, that sends mingi over the edge. he cums so hard that he doesn't even make a sound as yunho pumps him through it, white splattering his stomach and the alpha's hand and some going so high it lands on yunho's shirt. legs give out as they shake uncontrollably, flopping back onto the bed pathetically as mingi seizes up beautifully over and over again. his toes curl and his hearing goes fuzzy and he can feel the pulsing of his heart just under his chest, rhythmic and hard.</p>
<p>he whines when he finally comes to, squirming away from yunho’s hand still lazily pumping him. the alpha chuckles before he lets go, leans in to kiss his temple and then catches the corner of his mouth with something sweet and chaste. </p>
<p>“i’ll be back, ok? just gonna go grab some warm towels, unless you’d rather have a bath?” yunho asks, but mingi shakes his head, furrowing his brows in confusion. </p>
<p>“what about you?” he asks, nodding to the obvious tenting of yunho’s pants, but the alpha just clicks his tongue with a soft smile. </p>
<p>“after i clean you up, okay?” mingi nods, still a little hazy from his orgasm. </p>
<p>yunho comes back with warm, wet cloths to wipe him up thoroughly, taking care to not drag too roughly and even helps tuck mingi back into his shorts and shirt. when yunho is satisfied, mingi finally drops his eyes to yunho’s still present bulge, raising his eyes in question. “now?”</p>
<p>yunho studies him with a face that mingi can’t really read. it’s at once soft and questioning. the alpha nods after a few moments, but then mingi finds himself being prompted to lay down. he looks up at yunho questioningly from his most comfortable position, laid out on his side with one leg thrown over the body pillow he uses nightly, and watches as the alpha chuckles before shedding his clothes unceremoniously. </p>
<p>“i just want you to watch, okay? you can touch, but i’m gonna do all the work, is that okay?” yunho asks, leaning back onto one hand and the other coming to tug at his proud erection, red and straining from being neglected for so long. mingi doesn’t quite understand but he nods. </p>
<p>it’s a little mesmerizing, watching yunho stroke himself until there’s precum leaking from the head, dripping down his shaft and collecting on his fingers. he uses it to slick up his handjob, letting out little noises as he raises his hips off the bed a little. it’s also such an intimate moment, watching yunho in his most physically vulnerable state giving him everything, showing him every part of him. </p>
<p>it’s electric and also extremely intense. when mingi looks up, he finds yunho’s eyes trained on him, unmoving even as he tilts his head back and rocks into his own fist. mingi swallows back a lump as he tries to wade out of his own thoughts. he <em>wants</em>…</p>
<p><em>he wants to touch</em>. </p>
<p>and so he does. the first contact of mingi’s hand on yunho’s thigh makes the alpha cry out, bucking and speeding up his firm strokes. he’s not even doing anything, just skimming his hand over yunho’s milky thighs, letting his fingers dip into the softest parts, and yunho is reacting with high sounds and jerky movements. </p>
<p>when he eventually comes, mingi’s awed again by the way the base of yunho’s dick inflates, knot forming fully. it’s much bigger than he’s ever realized, and for a moment, wonders how it fits inside of him. yunho’s whimper brings him back though and he finds himself reaching out further, hand wrapping around as much of it as he can. more cum dribbles from the alpha’s head as mingi puts pressure on the knot and he watches in fascination as the cum drips over his fingers and pools on the sheets, warm and copious. his brain supplies him with the idea of licking at the cum, and then he chuckles a little at his own thoughts. </p>
<p>yunho slumps back onto the bed, dick still red and hard and spitting stripes of cum as mingi flexes his fingers, around the knot. the alpha groans as he throws his arm over his face, flushed and spent and looking, for all intents and purposes, fucked out. </p>
<p>“was it good?” mingi asks, trying to coax more cum from yunho’s dick. the alpha bucks his hips a little as mingi strokes his length lightly. he’s slightly disappointed when he’s rewarded with nothing. </p>
<p>“fuck, mingi,” yunho calls and then he’s laughing breathily. mingi can feel the knot starting to deflate a little, the alpha’s dick starting to soften under his hand. “that was, literally, so sexy.” </p>
<p>mingi makes a face as he lifts up onto his elbow, one hand still loosely fisting at yunho’s cock that’s growing softer by the second. “how can that be sexy? i wasn’t even doing anything?” </p>
<p>yunho sits up unsteadily, eyes still a little blown and hair in disarray, lips bitten red and cum striping up his torso. he looks wrecked. “that’s the point, mingi. you don’t have to do anything to make me feel good.” </p>
<p>the alpha clambours over to him, swatting away his hand and laying himself in what’s probably a pool of his own cum without any care. he kisses mingi once and then twice and then giggles when he kisses him a third time. “you can literally just be sitting there in shorts and a t-shirt, carrying my pups, and still be the sexiest thing ever.”</p>
<p>mingi narrows his eyes but then relents, smile tugging up at the memory of the way yunho seemed to enjoy the way his hands roamed over him. “well, you did seem to be having a good time.” </p>
<p>yunho laughs loud and unrestrained. “i absolutely enjoyed myself.” he kisses mingi longer this time and then draws back with a content little sigh. “definitely enjoyed myself.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>and that's chapter two! nearly at the end!<br/>thank you so much for reading and i hope you enjoyed it!<br/>please leave kudos and comments if you liked it!</p>
<p>as always, come find me on twiteer @<a href="http://www.twitter.com/jonghhho">!!</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. iii. "perfect"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>welcome to the last part and enjoy ^^</p><p> </p><p>cw // </p><p>pregnant sex, labor (the birthing kind), and the tiniest implication/mention of blood<br/>male lactation</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>yunho looks up from the changing pad with a gleam in his eyes, holding up the tiny diaper in his hands and making sure everything seems to be in the right place. he turns to mingi with a grin, eyebrows raising in question. when the omega gives the diaper a look over and deems it worthy, he nods.</p><p>“yes!” yunho yells, jumping up and fist pumping the air. “i have mastered the art of changing a diaper!” </p><p>mingi watches his alpha do a little happy dance and chuckles. he knows it’ll be nothing like this when the baby finally arrives because actually putting the diaper on a living, breathing, squirming little human is going to be hell-of-a-lot different than doing it on a stuffed bear, but mingi decides to let it go. he doesn’t want to break yunho’s bubble just yet. </p><p>the alpha’s been spending his days trying to lessen mingi’s burden by learning all he can beforehand, meaning he’d spent three hours trying to figure out every little thing about the car seat they’d bought about a week ago and spending even longer of trying to figure out how to perfectly swaddle the same stuffed bear he’s abandoned on the floor just now. </p><p>and, well, mingi can’t really help but coo at yunho because the alpha seems to be so excited about learning. their journey is closing out now, with mingi nearing his thirty six week mark and although the omega, himself, is feeling a little anxious about the delivery and what life is going to be like afterwards, yunho hasn’t stopped smiling or caring for him in the best possible way.</p><p>“you did good, alpha,” mingi says when yunho stops in front of him. he holds out his hands, reaching up the yunho. “now help me get up, i need to pee again.” </p><p>he’s been having to use the bathroom more frequently now and has been having some trouble with constipation, but apparently that’s just how these things go—or at least that’s what seonghwa had said when he spoke to the older omega on the phone a few days ago. </p><p>yunho hauls him up carefully and giggles as he walks mingi backwards, with his hands still holding tightly, into the hall bathroom. he doesn’t even flinch when he plops down onto the toilet and yunho just lingers in the doorway, smiling down at him happily and humming a giddy tune under his breath. </p><p>when mingi’s finished, yunho takes his hands again and guides him back into the living room. he gingerly sets mingi down on the couch and then plops down next to him. yunho looks excited about something, but mingi can’t quite place a finger on it. they’re not scheduled to do anything and he doesn’t think their friends are coming over.</p><p>“what?” mingi asks, raising an eyebrow. yunho seems a little startled by the confrontation, but goes along with it. he tucks his hands under his legs like he does sometimes when he wants to ask mingi about something important.</p><p>“i wanted to ask you to do something…” yunho starts a little hesitant but still smiling. mingi narrows his eyes but gives the green light to keep going. </p><p>“so, hongjoong showed me these gorgeous photos of seonghwa and him from their twin bump photoshoot and i thought it might be fun if we did one too?” the alpha suggests, face lighting up at the prospect. mingi can’t help but laugh at the cute way yunho’s looking at him, light bouncing from his eyes and lips twisted in that cute little grin that he pulls when he’s super excited. </p><p>“this is what’s got you so excited?” mingi asks and then reaches over to pinch at the alpha’s cheek. “that’s adorable.” </p><p>yunho giggles at the gesture and then sits upright, nearly dangling off of the couch in his excitement. “so that’s a yes, right?” </p><p> </p><p>it’s only two hours later when mingi finds himself at a pretty little rented studio just a few blocks from their house. yunho’s giddy with excitement as they push open the door and step in to be greeted by a handful of people including seonghwa and hongjoong. </p><p>“what are you doing here?” mingi asks, going in for a hug as the older omega turns to him with a sweet smile. </p><p>“we wanted to be here to help out in case you needed anything, baby,” seonghwa says, gesturing to the area around them. it’s mostly plain white furniture and lots of sheets hanging from the ceiling. “and, this is our photographer, so we thought it would be rude of us not to introduce you ourselves.”</p><p>the photographer is young, probably still in university, and very pretty. she's got that plain but fashionable thing going on in her clothes and her braided hair falls loosely behind her back in the most perfect little plait. mingi catches a whiff of her scent and relaxes a little at the duller scent of the beta. </p><p>he doesn't really know what's in store for him as seonghwa helps him change into a loose fitting shirt and joggers. yunho emerges from his own changing corner in the exact same outfit and mingi can't help but smile at the difference between the two of them—one of them soft but lean and lightly muscled, the other sharp but round in the middle, carrying a baby. </p><p>"this is going to be the casual part of the shoot, so i don't want to overly direct you," the photographer says, fixing one of the softbox lights framing the living room setup. it's almost like the living room in their apartment, just more sparse. "just do what feels natural, but remember the baby is the focus of the shoot."</p><p>yunho's a natural. he guides mingi to stand in front of him while the alpha kneels and looks up at him, letting out an excited little giggle which makes mingi giggle too. the flash of the camera going off, however startles him and mingi jerks away for a moment, protectively wrapping his arms around his belly. </p><p>"it's okay, mingi! it's just the flash from the camera!" seonghwa calls from the sidelines. </p><p>mingi relaxes after that, letting yunho guide him. the alpha gingerly moves them onto the couch and mingi goes along as yunho leans into him and tangles their legs together. he laughs when mingi looks up at him with big eyes. they share a kiss or two here and there, as a way for yunho to get mingi to relax and it works until he catches seonghwa's eyes behind the photographer, wide and blinking. </p><p>at the photographer's request, they remove their shirts as they move to a different set. yunho looks stunning under the softbox light shining from different angles, outlining his soft features and the toned muscles along his bare skin. mingi feels a little strange, seeing him like this—a little embarrassed because he doesn't look nearly as pretty as yunho—but the alpha pulls him in for a quick kiss, whispers to him how lovely he looks and gently removes mingi's hands from where the stretch marks bloom on his stomach. </p><p>there's a soft gasp from somewhere as yunho lays his hands over mingi's stomach, looks into his eyes with so much joy and passion and love. mingi drinks in the sight, basks in the attention and scent of his alpha, smiles softly and closes his eyes at the sensations that are starting to envelope him in something warm. he doesn't even notice the soft clicks of the camera and just focuses on yunho who holds him, rocks him, makes him smile throughout the shoot. </p><p>when they get to break, mingi finds himself being led away by seonghwa into the corner, set apart by a room divider. he's handed a snack and water and told to "eat," and so he obeys, still feeling the tingling of his skin where yunho touched him last. </p><p>"what was that?" seonghwa whispers to him once they're behind the changing screen. mingi frowns. </p><p>"what was what?" </p><p>"you both have changed so much," seonghwa says almost longingly. his eyes are focused on mingi intensely, an unreadable expression passing on his features for a moment and then disappearing.</p><p>"of course we have, seonghwa," mingi says, feeling a blush creeping up to his cheeks. he doesn't quite know what to say. "we're happy together."</p><p>the small gasp seonghwa lets out is unmistakably the same he'd heard during the shoot. mingi watches the older omega sink down in front of him, swallows the mouthful of crackers he's been munching on. "i'm glad you're happy mingi. i can tell yunho's grown to love you—maybe has loved you for a while and he just didn't even notice."</p><p>mingi finds sincerity in seonghwa'a voice and in his eyes. "and i can tell you love him just as much. you're both like an open book of emotions when you look at each other," and then seonghwa chuckles. "i don't know how we ever missed that you two were sharing beds long before this."</p><p>mingi finds himself giggling too, the omegean scent coming from seonghwa soothing his nerves, because he's still nervous when he's talking about how he feels about yunho—still scared that he's reading everything wrong.</p><p>sometimes mingi can't even wrap his head around the fact that yunho loves him. it seems so strange and unlikely and it makes him a little anxious to think about, but then he thinks about all the times yunho's said the words to mingi—laying in bed or banging around in the kitchen, or just as he wakes up and he catches the alpha staring down at him with soft eyes and pouty lips—and he smiles because yunho doesn't lie to him. yunho never lies to him.</p><p>"okay, baby. time to change," seonghwa says after the silence between them has stretched on. he helps mingi stand and goes to fetch a box from the corner, wrapped in glitter and a pearly beige ribbon. "yunho picked this out about a week ago. he was so excited to see you in it."</p><p>when seonghwa opens the box mingi finds himself at a loss for words. he looks up at the older omega, mouth opening and closing, yet the only thing that comes from him is a small breath. seonghwa smiles, "gonna doll you up too. yunho's not gonna be able to tear his eyes away."</p><p> </p><p>mingi feels electric as seonghwa puts the finishing touches on his makeup, a bit of glittery highlighter in his cheekbones to accentuate his features. he hasn't gotten to look at himself yet, but doesn't want to think about what he might look like just yet. his nerves are a little frayed, making his hands fidget where they lay in his lap and making his leg bounce, covered by the soft velvet of his pants. he has to actively refrain from biting his lips, glossed to perfection under seonghwa's steady hand. he doesn't remember the last time he dressed up so fancy.</p><p>hongjoong comes around the edge of the divider and stops in his tracks as his eyes land on mingi who’s perched a little awkwardly on the armchair with his head tilted up towards seonghwa. he's got a spray bottle and some curling mousse in his hands and his jaw drops at he steps up to mingi. gasping when the older omega steps away as he feels his mate's presence.  </p><p>"he’s gorgeous, isn't he?" seonghwa asks, turning to look at hongjoong with the most satisfied smile adorning his face. </p><p>"yunho was so right," the alpha says, coming to move a stray hair from mingi's face. "you look like a god in that outfit."</p><p>mingi fidgets even harder in his seat, squirming a little because he doesn’t know what to do with all these compliments. he just mutters a quick thanks, to which hongjoong smiles fondly. </p><p>the alpha gets started on his hair, carefully shielding his face with his small hands from the spray of the water. he works the mousse in carefully and meticulously, pointed canines making an appearance as he takes in his finished product just a few moments later. </p><p>"it's perfect, joong," seonghwa says, eyes gleaming with something like satisfaction. mingi has no idea what hongjoong's done to his hair, but he can see the few curling strands falling into his line of vision—soft brown waves that feel light on his head. </p><p>"yunho's going to pass out when he sees you, mingi." </p><p> </p><p>yunho doesn't pass out when his eyes land on mingi. he just goes still, mouth hanging open and eyes slowly burning a trail from mingi’s head to his toes. he feels exposed, even though he’s mostly covered, but a certain part of him is enjoying yunho’s jaw dropped expression. </p><p>mingi looks over at seonghwa who smiles and then looks to the photographer who is also smiling unreadably. then mingi turns back to yunho who finally seems to have unfrozen. he’s slowly making his way over to him, big eyes blinking as he takes him in and a smile replacing the shock on his face. </p><p>when he gets close enough, he reaches out to take mingi’s hand and raises it to press a kiss to his knuckles, laughing breathily afterwards. “mingi you look–i can’t–wow.” yunho shakes his head as his eyes travel down every inch of his body, lingering on his lips and on his middle and then dragging back up torturously slow. </p><p>mingi’s surprised by the suddenness of yunho burying his face into his neck, giggling slightly and then breathing in his scent, leaving chaste little kisses on his collarbones and coming back up with flushed cheeks. “you’re the most beautiful person i’ve ever seen in my life,” he whispers, so close to mingi that if he leaned in just a hair, they’d be kissing. </p><p>“do i look ok?” mingi asks, and laughs when an offended sort of look crosses yunho’s face. </p><p>“have you not seen yourself?” mingi shakes his head and shoots the others a helpless sort of look as yunho all but drags him away.</p><p>there’s a mirror in yunho’s changing corner, big and rectangular and leaning against the wall. when mingi finally catches sight of himself, he’s stunned. the velvet pants wrap around his thighs just right, not tight but not loose, and the shin length velvet jacket he has on makes his entire frame look long and elegant. a sparkling, gossamer fabric hangs almost like a cape from one shoulder, pinned to each of his shoulders by a golden lion, stretching elegantly along the width of his back. </p><p>he looks almost royal, with glittering golden accessories on his wrists and hands and hanging from his neck, matching the golden buttons of his coat which stay open, revealing his pregnant stomach and smooth chest. he feels expensive.</p><p>mingi’s so engrossed in staring at himself that he jumps when yunho wraps his arms around him, cradling his belly and hooking his chin over his shoulder. he makes eye contact through the mirror, smile big and wide and eyes dripping with adoration tinged in something like golden ichor. </p><p>“do you see how beautiful you are?” yunho whispers, tucking himself into mingi’s neck to kiss his scent gland. “you’re shining.” </p><p>and yunho’s right. somewhere along the way, seonghwa and hongjoong have dusted him with the fineset of golden glitter, sparkling as the tiny specs catch the light at every single one of his movements. there’s faint shimmer over his chest and stomach, dusted over the tip of his nose and woven into what looks like the very follicles of mingi’s hair. his lipgloss even has a golden sheen.</p><p>“my beautiful omega,” yunho says, breath hot against mingi’s neck. “my star.”</p><p>mingi presses his lips together as he turns in yunho’s arms. there’s prickling in the backs of his eyes, tears dangerously close to forming as he cups yunho’s face in his hands. “thank you, yunho.”</p><p>and although mingi, himself, isn’t quite so sure what he’s thanking the alpha for, yunho seems to understand. his hands come up to hold mingi’s firmly against his face—turns to kiss the center of each of his palms as he giggles breathlessly. </p><p>“you deserve so much more than i can give you,” yunho mutters, almost like he’s not sure if he’s actually speaking and mingi—mingi wants to tell him that he’s given him everything he could have ever asked for. he wants to voice how much yunho means to him, how much yunho has done for him and—<em>god</em>—he wants to kiss him. mingi wants to kiss yunho until his lips are bruised and tingling and until he can’t kiss him anymore; until yunho can feel everything he’s ever felt for the alpha. </p><p>but seonghwa’s voice cuts through their moment loud and clear. mingi and yunho all but jump apart at the omega’s voice. “don’t mess up my mingi’s makeup, yunho!” </p><p>a beat passes and mingi finds himself splitting into the biggest smile, laughter bubbling up in his chest as yunho does the same. they emerge from their little corner with their hands entangled and seonghwa looks a little relieved to see that mingi’s intact. </p><p>the rest of the shoot doesn’t take long. mingi situates himself against a dark background. soft, warm light glows from one direction, illuminating the shimmer on his skin and deepening the shadows of his sharp bones. every now and again he looks up at yunho who stares at him in awe behind the camera, a tiny smile never leaving his face.</p><p>when they’ve wrapped up and hongjoong and seonghwa, as well as the photographer, take their leave, mingi is finally able to turn to yunho and kiss the alpha deep, unhurried, and full of emotion. they’re standing on the street with the golden light of the setting sun bathing them, showering mingi’s exposed collarbones in more tiny sparkles, but it’s as if the entire world doesn’t want to ruin this moment. </p><p>there are no cars, no motorcycles, no barking dogs—and strangely enough—no people. it’s just mingi and yunho, drinking in each other’s sole beings, pulling away from the kiss to take deep breaths and smile into each other’s eyes and mingi can’t really seem to find the words, but he knows he doesn’t have to. yunho leans in to peck his lips again, squeezes his hands tightly in his own, and nods the tiniest nod that mingi somehow understands. he nods back. </p><p>and just like that, the world starts revolving around them again. the honking of a car breaks the air of the moment, making mingi jump. but yunho’s hands remain firmly in his and his eyes don’t turn away from mingi. </p><p>“wanna get dinner somewhere?” mingi grimaces a little and turns back to the alpha, golden light hitting his eyes just right and illuminating them a warm, rich brown. </p><p>“i’m exhausted. let’s order in.”</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>******</p>
</div><p> </p><p>mingi groans from his spot on the bed, laid out on his side with no energy to even get up to relieve himself even though his bladder is protesting the very position he’s in. he can feel the baby situated so low in his stomach that he feels like he needs to be wearing some kind of support on the underside of his stomach every time he stands up; not to mention the aches he’s been getting recently in his pelvic area that have him whiney and just incredibly uncomfortable.</p><p>yunho sits next to him, carding his long fingers through mingi’s hair and pouting cutely. they’re scheduled to visit the obgyn today for a check up on things because mingi is five days past his due date with no signs of going into labor any time soon.</p><p>“you think you’re ready to get up now, babe?” yunho asks quietly, leaning over mingi and just barely touching his lips to his temple. mingi groans again but nods. </p><p>yunho immediately pushes off of the bed and comes around to mingi’s side of the bed. he doesn’t truly need this much help to get up, but he likes the feeling of yunho’s warm body against his as the alpha hefts him up as if he weighs nothing. </p><p>they waddle to the bathroom together and get ready to go out. mingi slips on a pair of stretchy leggings and a maroon dress that falls to his mid thighs and then starts when he turns around to find yunho staring at him with the softest expression on his face. </p><p>“you’ve seen me in this dress before, yunho.” mingi says, but he can’t help but smile at the way yunho’s ears are starting to turn red. the alpha clears his throat. </p><p>“i know, but you just...i don’t know. i just really like the way it looks on you today.” he says, coming to wrap an arm around mingi’s shoulder, tucking him into his side and kissing his temple again. mingi giggles as the movement jostles his glasses. </p><p>“okay, romeo. let’s get going or we’re going to be stuck in traffic.” </p><p> </p><p>“have you guys tried having sex?” mingi’s doctor asks with a faint little glow in her eyes. mingi and yunho exchange a look and then both shake their heads. </p><p>“sex? like, full on sex?” yunho asks, wetting his lips a little. mingi can distinctly see the alpha’s ears beginning to tinge red. </p><p>“yes, i’ve spoken to mingi about it a few times in the past few weeks, hasn’t he told you?” yunho turns slowly towards him, eyebrows raised. mingi meets the alpha’s eyes with a small smile. </p><p>“sorry. i–uh–forgot?” mingi tries, but yunho just fixes him with an unimpressed look. mingi can feel the air around them shift slightly. </p><p>“well, try having sex first and if it doesn’t work out, i can get you an appointment in a day or so with our prenatal massage clinic and we’ll see if that might help too, alright? there's no real proof that sex is going to work, but it's worked for a lot of couples i've been with in the past.” mingi nods.</p><p>mingi can tell yunho’s upset as they walk out of the clinic, hand holding onto his own firmly and guiding him ever carefully. it’s not a brooding sort of anger or anything, just the slightest shift in the set of his jaw that clues him in. </p><p>they don’t say a word as they take the elevator down to the parking garage. mingi glances at yunho who seems deep in thought as he helps him into the car, and while he wants to say something to make it right, he just doesn’t know what. it isn’t until they’re parked, back at home, that yunho finally breaks the silence. </p><p>“you know you can tell me anything, right, mingi?” </p><p>the hurt in yunho’s eyes is startling when mingi turns to face him. he reaches out with a hand to cup the alpha’s cheek, feeling tears forming in the corners of his eyes. he hates that he’s hurting yunho like this with his own insecurity. </p><p>“i know, yunho. i’m sorry,” he says, tears spilling over and wetting his cheeks. yunho’s hand comes to cup his face in a mirror of mingi’s own motions, wiping the tears away gently. </p><p>“don’t cry, love. i’m not mad at you.” yunho leans in, kissing his forehead and then his tear stained cheeks. “i could never be mad at you.” </p><p>mingi sniffles and nods, holding yunho’s hands to his face and letting the warmth fill him up. </p><p>“sorry. i just was embarrassed, that’s all—telling you about the sex. apparently semen is helpful in inducing labor naturally and the doctor mentioned it a few times but i just–i don’t know. it’s just kind of embarrassing.” </p><p>when mingi’s ramble ends, he looks up to find yunho smiling at him, eyes flashing with fondness. he bites his lower lip between his teeth as he chuckles. “you don’t have to be embarrassed about anything with me, remember?” yunho asks, knocking his forehead against mingi’s gently. </p><p>the motion makes mingi chuckle too as he leans back a little to take the pressure off of his hips. “i know, alpha.”</p><p>“good. now let’s get you nice and fed so we can try out this sex thing.” </p><p>somehow in between lunch and mingi’s endless trips to the bathroom, they find themselves wrapping up at the dinner table. mingi’s not too hungry these days, but yunho coaxes him into eating until the alpha is content and mingi’s grateful for it. </p><p>it’s strange, knowing what’s about to come next after they’re done cleaning up, but somehow mingi finds himself a little excited at the idea. he knows yunho will take good care of him and will go as slowly as he needs them to. he knows that he's in good hands. </p><p>they don't rush into it. yunho helps mingi into the bathtub and they have a quick soak where yunho rubs at his aching, swollen feet and kisses his shoulders when mingi giggles at the ticklish sensation of having yunho touch him so lightly. when the alpha is satisfied, he helps mingi out of the bath and helps apply all of his creams and lotions. just the feeling of yunho's hands all over him makes mingi shiver.</p><p>"feeling good already?" yunho asks, dipping down to nip at mingi's collarbones as he leads them into the bedroom. mingi nods with a chuckle, desire swirling somewhere in the pit of his stomach. </p><p>mingi sits on the edge of the bed and pulls yunho in by the hips, letting his lips touch the warm skin on the alpha's stomach and mouthing down until he's nipping at the skin just beside yunho's dick. he can see it start to fill up already. </p><p>"how do you wanna do this?" yunho asks when mingi goes to take his mostly soft length into his hand. he sucks in a breath at the sensation and mingi smirks. </p><p>"wanna suck you off," he replies, a little breathless and flushing at his own forwardness. but he likes the feeling of this—yunho moaning out little noises as he palms the alpha, feeling the blood filling him up and stretching him to his full length. </p><p>"whatever you want, love," yunho breathes out, combing his fingers through mingi's hair and swearing as mingi licks over the head of his dick. </p><p>mingi goes slow, slicking yunho's length with his saliva to make the slide of his palm a little easier. when he's satisfied, he laps at the precum that's collected at the slit and looks up as yunho threads his fingers gently atop mingi's head and throws his head back, moaning low and long as mingi swirls his tongue and digs the tip of it into the slit a little. it's filthy and mingi's got spit all over his chin already, but it's exactly what he wants, so he takes a breath and dives in. </p><p>the moan yunho lets out is high and loud this time as mingi takes him into his mouth, sliding as far as he can go and then stilling, dragging his tongue around the girth in his mouth. "f–fuck–fuck, mingi!"</p><p>even as he's being pushed to his limit, yunho is gentle. he holds his hips still and doesn't pull on mingi's hair, just strokes lightly. mingi hums appreciatively and swallows down more of yunho's length, forcing his gag reflex to clam as he takes a shaky breath through his nose and pushes some more. he's nearly gotten to the base of yunho's dick when the alpha whines and pushes slightly at mingi's shoulder. "t–too much, mingi. gonna cum too soon."</p><p>mingi feels arousal rush through him at the words and pulls off too quickly, coughing into his arm as tears spring to his eyes. yunho kneels before him, kissing the crown of his head as he goes and waiting patiently for him to gain his bearings. "okay?" he asks, when the coughing finally subsides and mingi nods wiping the tears from his eyes and shifting a little. he hadn't even noticed the slick pooling underneath him, but it's soaking through the sheets at this point and mingi almost groans at the prospect of having to change the sheets again. </p><p>"what do you need, mingi?" yunho asks, kissing his knees and swiping a thumb over the leaking head of mingi's own cock. he trembles at the feeling, thighs quivering as he scoots back onto the bed. the trail of slick he leaves is filthy and he blushes when he sees the large wet spot where he had been seated. </p><p>"fill me up, alpha," mingi says, looking up at yunho with big eyes. he can feel slick slowly trickling down his asscheek, soaking the sheets below in his new position. he already knows he isn't going to last long. </p><p>"okay," yunho breathes before crawling onto the bed after him.</p><p>laying on his side as yunho takes him is quickly becoming mingi's new favorite position. he loves the feeling of yunho cradling him, holding him gentle yet firm, and whispering sweet nothings into his ear as he rocks lazily against him, cockhead dragging perfectly against mingi's oversensitive prostate making him whimper and moan out in short little choked out gasps. </p><p>yunho takes his time, tracing patterns into mingi's hips and suckling little bruises into his shoulder. he pulls out just enough to drag against mingi's walls <em>just right</em> but so agonizingly slow that it makes mingi clench around him, seeking that heady friction and pushing back just the slightest. the movement makes yunho click his tongue, chiding but sweet all at once; makes him bite at mingi's earlobe and still inside of him. </p><p>"please–" mingi begs, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes as he reaches back to tangle a hand in the alpha's hair. he turns just enough so that he can press a sloppy kiss against the corner of yunho's mouth. "please, i'm so close."</p><p>yunho hums as he leans over mingi to kiss him deeper, pressing so close that their noses knock and their teeth clack but it's perfect. mingi whines into yunho's mouth. his hips are aching but he's <em>so close</em>. "yunho–!" he moans, choked off as the alpha draws away to pull out and pound back into him smoothly.</p><p>the sound of their skin slapping wetly from the copious amount of slick mingi is dripping is filthy and makes his head a little fuzzy; it makes the tips of his fingers and toes tingle. he doesn't know why he's turning his face into the pillow, muffling his sounds as yunho thrusts into him without abandon but he whines when the alpha slows down, pushing up onto his elbow to look down at mingi with concern written all over his face. </p><p>"mingi, are you okay? am i being too rough? do we need to stop?" he's panting a little and there's sweat collecting in the pretty divots of his collarbones when mingi finally turns to him. he probably looks wrecked, tears and snot dripping and hair a complete mess, but he manages to smile, reaching up to pull yunho down for a sweet smattering of kisses along the alpha's cheeks, the bridge of his nose and finally on his lips. </p><p>"no, you're fine. i just–i'm so sensitive and it feels so <em>good–</em>" and mingi finds the darkness returning to yunho's eyes. he lifts mingi's leg onto one arm and shifts so that he's kneeling, straddling mingi's other leg. when he pushes back in, the friction is insane. mingi can't help the yelp he lets out as yunho's cock slots just right, punching out sounds from him at every thrust, hitting right there–there–<em>there</em>–</p><p>the pleasure that ripples through mingi is so intense that he doesn’t know what to do. his hands scrabble to grip at something—<em>anything</em>—and finally land on yunho’s forearms, blunt nails digging in probably a little painfully. he clenches his eyes shut and feels every single twitch of every single muscle in his body as he shakes with pleasure, cum shooting long and thick and dripping onto his stomach and the sheets.</p><p>and he can feel yunho slowing down his thrusts, each push and pull making him quiver just a little more and then mingi cries out, tears spilling from his clenched eyes as he feels yunho’s knot forming, pushing against his sensitive walls and locking them together, fitting tight even with the slippery wetness of his slick coating absolutely every bit of skin between them.</p><p>yunho bows forward, burying his face into mingi’s side, still supporting his leg in one arm and breathing shakily as his own orgasm washes over him. mingi can feel the cum pooling inside him, yunho’s cock jerking at every release of seed and sending over sensitive little shocks through mingi’s body. </p><p>when he’s able to open his eyes again, mingi wraps his arm around yunho’s shoulders, the alpha still breathing hard against his side and rocking ever so slightly against mingi, aftershocks of his own orgasm no doubt still thrumming. he threads his hands through the alpha’s hair, and closes his eyes, lets the aching of his hips ground him a little.</p><p>“fuck, mingi,” yunho finally says after a few long moments, nuzzling into his side with a breathy laughter. “it just gets better every time.” </p><p>mingi squawks, but his voice turns to laughter as yunho moves to kiss him lazily, just pushing their lips together and parting and repeating this over and over again. soon, yunho’s slipping out of mingi, cum spilling from his thoroughly stretched entrance and making mingi whine against the alpha’s lips. </p><p>“we’re pretty gross, huh?” yunho asks, pulling away just enough for mingi to take in his tousled hair and red, swollen lips. mingi chuckles and leans forward for one last kiss—this time long and breathtaking. </p><p>“disgusting,” mingi replies, squirming at the feeling of slick and cum on his ass and thighs. yunho chortles, lumbering off of the bed with his knees and neck popping, mingi grimaces at the sounds.</p><p>“come on, back to the bath.”</p><p> </p><p>mingi wakes up to a painful, tightening feeling in his stomach. it’s not unbearable and not entirely different from the contractions he’s been feeling for months now, but he can tell it’s not at all the practice contractions. the pain passes rather quickly and mingi goes to sit up, but stops because he can feel the sticky wetness of slick between his cheeks.</p><p>“yunho?” mingi says, small and a little terrified. he doesn’t know how the alpha hears him because he's usually a heavy sleeper, but yunho stirs beside him, immediately sitting up and blinking sleep from his eyes. mingi’s eyes travel to his phone, the dim clock reading 3:00 am. they’ve only been asleep for a few of hours. </p><p>“what is it?” yunho asks, hand immediately coming up to rest on mingi’s stomach. </p><p>“i–” mingi frowns, laying a hand over yunho’s. “i think it worked?” he looks over at the alpha, uncertainty written all over his face. he watches as yunho’s eyes go from narrowed to big and wide, focused and as clear as day. the alpha rises to his knees, looming over mingi slightly. </p><p>“like...it <em>worked</em>?” yunho asks, almost bouncing on the bed. “like...you’re in labor?”</p><p>mingi does something weird with his eyebrows as he feels a dull ache starting to spread through the bones in his lower back. then he nods. “i think so? it wasn’t too bad, just like the contractions i used to have before, but i think…” </p><p>he swings his legs from the bed, cringing at the wetness on his bottom and then slowly rises to his feet. there’s definitely more pressure in his pelvis and his legs seem to be tensed up, but mingi motions for yunho to help him and together they waddle to the bathroom. </p><p>just as he’d expected, when mingi pulls down his underwear, there’s pink tinged slick covering his bottom of the fabric. yunho looks a little alarmed, but mingi assures him it’s fine and asks the alpha to grab the liners from under the sink. he wipes himself up and slumps against the toilet at the shocks of pain that are traveling up his back at each movement. </p><p>“are you okay?” yunho asks, going to place the liners on a fresh pair of underwear for mingi. he’s honestly surprised yunho knows where it’s supposed to go. mingi just opts to nod, letting yunho help him back up and back to bed. “do you think you’ll be able to get some sleep?” </p><p>mingi shrugs. “not sure, i think we should wait for more contractions though. you remember how to time them, right?” </p><p>yunho smiles. “of course, love. why don’t you just relax though for now?” </p><p>the next contraction comes and mingi just winces a little. it’s definitely not that bad yet, mostly just uncomfortable. “this is gonna suck,” mingi says when the pain recedes. </p><p>yunho leans forward and kisses his brow, a sad little smile on his face. “you’re doing great, mingi.” </p><p>mingi miraculously falls asleep after they notify his doctor about having entered labor and wakes an hour later to a slightly stronger contraction. yunho’s dozing beside him, arms wrapped protectively around him, and mingi feels a little bad when he shifts a little and wakes the alpha. </p><p>“sorry,” he says, shifting to a different position. his toes are curling in at the pain that’s still mostly bearable. yunho doesn’t say anything as he holds mingi’s hand through it, watching him with weary eyes. </p><p>“sleep okay?” the alpha asks when mingi gets settled again, pain tucking away into something dull against his back for the time being. </p><p>“yea, but i don’t know if i’m gonna get any more after this,” he replies, cracking a small smile that yunho mirrors. “we should give everyone a call soon.” </p><p>they end up taking a short walk around the immediate neighborhood because mingi feels restless. it’s still dark out and there are barely any people on the street, just a few cars here and there. they stop at the convenience store where yunho gets some coffee and mingi makes himself eat a banana even though he’s not hungry and by the time they get home, mingi finds he’s a little drowsy and is able to take another small nap. </p><p>seonghwa is already awake when they make the call and the older omega squeals when he hears the news. then it’s onto their families and then the rest of their friends who are all extremely excited as well. yunho’s parents start making preparations to drive up immediately and mingi’s parents tell them to let them know when they’re about to head to the birthing clinic. </p><p>mingi goes about his morning as always, eating some plain foods, drinking water and squirming in his seat as his contractions slowly become more painful. his back is aching constantly now, but being close to yunho makes everything a little better. </p><p>he’s sitting with his back to yunho’s front, scooted as close as possible to let the pheromones envelope him. the alpha distracts mingi by telling him stupid jokes and playing funny little videos on the tv for him. he tenses when the contractions come, now something like every seven minutes or so, but it’s still bearable, so mingi just goes a little quiet, purses his lips and whines only when the sharp pains in his back start acting up. </p><p>it’s half past noon when mingi’s next contraction comes a little harder, making him tense up so tight that his nails dig into yunho’s arm. the alpha cries out a little, but doesn’t jerk away and mingi’s grateful or that as the waves of pain start to ebb. “sorry,” he apologizes, unlatching his fingers from around yunho’s arm, but the alpha shakes his head. </p><p>he brings mingi’s hand up to kiss his knuckles. “don’t be sorry, mingi. i’m here for you. whatever you need, even if it’s something to sink your nails into.” </p><p>mingi laughs at this, sighing at the way his limbs feel heavy, even against the couch. “i think we’re good to go, mingi,” yunho says, glancing at the watch around his wrist. “i think that was five minutes.” </p><p>mingi’s a little dazed as yunho scurries about, gathering everything they need. they’ve had their hospital bag packed for a few long weeks now and all they really need to gather are their phones and chargers and the likes. yunho slips mingi’s shoes onto his feet for him and they’re out the door. </p><p>“oh my god, yunho,” mingi says as they’re loading the car. he’s standing in a funny position, thanks to the oncoming contraction but he’s able to finish his thought as the peak hits. “it’s happening!” </p><p>yunho rushes to mingi’s side, takes a hand in his own and gently rubs the other hand down his back. mingi breathes like he’s practiced, but really, it doesn’t seem to be helping much, so he leans into yunho as much as he can in his awkward position and breathes in the alpha’s scent. </p><p>“this sucks, yunho.” mingi says when the high part of the pain passes. he pushes away from the alpha, heavy limbed, and clambours into the car with yunho’s help. “this <em>sucks</em>.”</p><p>then suddenly mingi can't seem to be able to quell the nerves sneaking up on him. tears spring to his eyes as he tries to take a deep breath, brushes away the stray wetness on his cheek in hopes of calming himself down. but it's no use and yunho senses it as he finally climbs into the driver's seat. </p><p>"mingi, what's wrong? why are you crying? is it another contraction?" </p><p>yunho's voice gets lost in the hammering of mingi's heartbeat, in that tiny voice in his head that's tutting at him. he bows forward, curling in on himself as the tears flow endlessly. </p><p>"mingi," yunho pleads, scooting as close as he can with the middle console between them. and it must not be enough because mingi hears the car door opening again. in an instant yunho's back by his side of the car, yanking the door open and wrapping mingi up in his arms. "oh, baby. please, you're breaking my heart."</p><p>the gasping, gurgling sound of mingi's sudden sobs are loud in the parking lot, ringing as he tries and tries to stop the tears. "i–yunho–it–" he tries to say, but each thought gets lodged in his throat, panic rising up to his lungs, making him take short, stuttered breaths. </p><p>"mingi, hold my hand. tell me what's wrong?" there's panic in the alpha's voice now, warbling and soft as he tries to calm mingi with his scent, pheromones wrapping around him like a cocoon. he wipes the tears from mingi's face, shushes his cries as he looks down at him with frightened eyes. </p><p>"i don't think–i can't do it, yunho," mingi chokes out and clenches his eyes shut as another contraction ripples through him. he makes little whimpering noises as his hands come up to steady himself against the dashboard, as each wave of pain radiates through to the very tips of his fingers, making his legs jerk. </p><p>"try to breathe, love. you're doing amazing," but those words just make mingi choke as the brightest spark of pain courses through him. the cry he tries to let out gets stuck in his throat, makes him cough—makes him gag. </p><p>when the pain passes, mingi slumps down into the seat, tears having passed. but his mind is still running a mile a minute and he turns to yunho, exhaustion already creeping up on him. "yunho, we forgot—we didn't mate. i didn't–"</p><p>he feels a little hysteric, voice wobbling as he takes the alpha's hand in his, squeezes so tight that yunho winces. desperation clings to him as his brain swims through some of the haziness. he closes his eyes, lets his head loll and takes a deep breath as another wave of nausea passes through him. </p><p>"mingi, that's–" yunho starts, reaches over to wipe the drying tears from mingi's face. "i promise we will. it just didn't come up. we were busy making sure–getting to know and–i know it's important and we will do it, but listen to me, mingi," the alpha says, turning mingi's face up to him. the frown across his brows makes him look handsome under the dim parking lot lights. </p><p>"i love you and we're almost there, mingi. you can do this—i know you can—and i'll be right here with you, okay?" the alpha voices, pressing kisses against mingi's forehead, breath stuttering as he sighs. "i love you."</p><p>and mingi can't quite make out what it is about yunho's voice—his words—that makes him relax, but he finds himself melting against the alpha, nodding as yunho repeats "i love you"'s into his hair, into his ear, into his knuckles as he kisses them. </p><p>"i love you, too, yunho," mingi manages to mutter through the clammy haze in his brain, anxiousness fading as he breathes in deep. "i'm sorry. everything's just so overwhelming and i–" </p><p>but yunho doesn't let him finish, just shushes him and holds him, fingers smoothing through his hair. "no apologies, mingi. just tell me you're okay."</p><p>and mingi pulls away just a fraction. he looks up into yunho's tired eyes and finds the alpha looking at him with something that looks a lot like the way mingi sometimes finds himself looking at him—soft and sweet and vulnerable. there's no surety there, none of the calmness of the morning, but it makes mingi nod, makes his heart beat a little stronger in his chest and makes the energy return to him. </p><p>he reaches up to brush a thumb over yunho's cheek. "i'm okay. i'll be okay as long as you're with me."</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>******</p>
</div><p> </p><p>labor sucks. mingi is too exhausted to get out of bed at this point. his legs hurt and his back hurts and everything hurts, including his full breasts, which means he needs to nurse soon, which also means the baby is going to cry soon. it makes mingi sigh as he carefully, <em>almost </em>grudgingly, gets out of bed.</p><p>yunho is knocked out next to him on the bed, cheeks flushed in sleep from having been up most of the night with mingi, trying to make things a bit better, even though he knows there’s little he can do when the baby is hungry instead of just plain out refusing to sleep, but mingi’s grateful for it all the same. </p><p>it’s been almost four weeks since they gave birth to their daughter, and while it’s been hectic and loud and sometimes a little frightful, it’s also been extremely humbling and somehow has made mingi love yunho even more. </p><p>yunho whisks the baby away from him every time she needs to be changed and sticks by mingi’s side when it’s time to nurse, which is very frequently, treading a soothing hand through mingi’s hair or cooing at the baby as she stares up at both of them with her big eyes. she has yunho’s eyes, round and inquisitive and warm. </p><p>he lets mingi do as much bonding with the baby as he needs to, and is usually always the first one up when she cries at night and he can distinctly tell it’s not from hunger—he's gotten pretty good at distinguishing her cries already. and mingi—well, mingi can’t really say anything other than how grateful he is that yunho’s by his side every step of the way, being everything he needs and more. </p><p>mingi’s slowly gaining his strength back. sometimes he finds himself staring out of the window on a quiet morning, drained and sleep deprived and strangely sad. he’s not really sure what’s making him so down, but yunho comes to find him—to wrap him up in his arms and kiss him until he’s smiling again and whispers sweet words to him until he’s feeling higher than he’s ever felt before. and as much as it’s the tiny, cute little face of their daughter that lights the fires in mingi’s hearth, it’s just as much yunho’s <em>love </em>that makes him stand and smile and love in return.</p><p>mingi picks up his daughter from her crib just at the foot of their bed. she’s squirming around already, letting her head loll to the side in search of nourishment. nursing always makes mingi’s heart flutter, her big eyes trained on him expectantly as soon as he’s got her in his arms. she’s a natural at breastfeeding, latching perfectly from the very beginning and giving mingi that first boost of confidence he’d needed after being in labor for a good eighteen hours.</p><p>yunho groans as mingi tugs on the pillows to set up a nursing nest. he finds it’s much easier to do with pillows supporting him around nearly every side. “is she up?” yunho grumbles, voice husky with exhaustion. </p><p>“yea, but she’s hungry,” mingi says, popping the buttons off on his shoulder. “you can go back to sleep.” </p><p>yunho drags himself up, slumping next to mingi as he situates the baby, letting her latch on to his nipple. the alpha hums beside him and mingi turns to see a dreamy expression on yunho’s face—sweet little smile and heavy lidded eyes and cheeks still rosy. </p><p>“you love her that much?” mingi asks. yunho raises his eyes to him, alarmed.</p><p>“of course i do. don’t you?” he looks befuddled, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide, looking at mingi like he’s almost offended. the omega giggles.</p><p>“no, i do. i just wanted to make sure we were on the same page,” he replies, laughing some more when yunho deflates, smile taking over his features again as he looks down at their daughter.  </p><p>“she’s perfect, don’t you think?” yunho asks a little dreamily. it’s almost rhetorical by now, mingi hears this question every day at least five times a day, but he can’t help but agree with a hum. there’s silence as they watch their daughter feed, breaths almost matched as yunho hooks his chin on mingi’s shoulder. </p><p>“and i think we’re pretty perfect, don’t you think so?” the alpha asks lower, gentler. </p><p>mingi turns to yunho and studies the alpha’s face. he’s got dark circles under his eyes from not sleeping enough and there’s some dried spit at the corner of his mouth where he’d been drooling against the pillow, but everything about him is...yunho. warm, loving, gentle, kind yunho—the father of his child. </p><p>and mingi finds himself leaning in just slightly so as not to disturb the nursing child, but just enough that yunho gets the idea. the alpha closes the distance between them, nuzzling into his neck and giggles as mingi’s hair tickles his face. he kisses the alpha chastely, sighs happily when their scents mix around them headily. </p><p>“perfect.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>whew! that was a journey!<br/>if you made it this far, i hope you liked it an thank you so much for sticking around!<br/>this thing has a little piece of my heart and i'm not quite so sure why, but it is pretty dear to me so it really means a lot for me to have been able to finish it and share it.<br/>if you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a kudos and/or a comment to let me know!<br/>i'll be back with the epilogue...soon? until then!!</p><p>as always, come find me on twt @</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks you for reading if you made it this far!!<br/>i'm kind of nervous to be posting this, but i hope you enjoyed it!<br/>if you did, please leave a kudos and a comment to let me know :)<br/>the next chapter will be up in a few days!</p><p>as always, come find me on twitter @<a href="http://www.twitter.com/jonghhho">jonghhho</a>!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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